Mishpatim [Ordinances]
These Are the Ordinances
1) “These are the ordinances which you will set before them.” These are the orders of
reincarnation, for ordinances mean sentences of souls that reincarnate into this world, which
are sentenced each according to its punishment.
If You Buy a Hebrew Slave
2) Here is the time to disclose a few hidden secrets of incarnation. It is written, “If you buy a
Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and on the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.” In
other words, when the soul must reincarnate due to iniquities or because she did not complete
the Torah and Mitzvot during life, she is forced to return to this world and clothe in a body, to
be reborn and to complete what she must during seventy years of life in this world. If she is
from the side of the angel Matat in the world of Beria, who comprises six degrees HGT NHY,
it is written about him, “He shall serve six years.” She is forced to reincarnate only until she
completes the correction of six degrees HGT NHY from the place from which she was taken,
Matat.
3) But a righteous who has been rewarded with a soul from the side of Divinity, from Malchut
de Atzilut, who is seventh to HGT NHY de Atzilut, there is no work in him, and no scrutinies
of Mochin are done in him, for he is considered Sabbath. And because there is no work in
him, there is no enslavement in him. It is written about a soul that is from there, “And on the
seventh he shall go out free for nothing,” meaning there is no enslavement in her.
4) What is the addition to the soul of which it is written, “You shall not do any work, you or
your son or your daughter, your man-servant or your maid-servant?” “You or your son or
your daughter” is NRN de Atzilut. “Your man-servant or your maid-servant or your cattle” is
NRN de BYA. Thus, even in Neshama de Beria, where Matat is, it is written about it, “You
shall not do any work,” and there is also this addition in it that there is no enslavement in it,
just as with a Neshama [soul] from Atzilut.
5) It is said about a soul of a righteous that she is from Atzilut, that even though he is forced to
come down by incarnation through all these, even in a man-servant and a maid-servant, and in
cattle, which are Ofanim in the world of Assiya, or in all the animals from which are souls of
people, it is written about it, “You shall not do any work.” That is, the Neshama is essentially
from Atzilut, but she is forced to incarnate as a man-servant, a maid-servant, and a cattle, and
then its sentence is that there is no work and enslavement in it. But if the Neshama essentially
extends from BYA, there are work and enslavement in it, as it is written, “You shall not
subject him to a slave's service.” With a righteous, who is the Sabbath day, you will not
subject him to a slave’s service, who is Matat, a weekday.
6) Sabbath is an only daughter, Malchut, the mate of the righteous, who is also Sabbath, as it
is written, “And on the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.” Thus, why is it written about
him, “If he takes to himself another”? It must be the difference that it is the secular part of the
Sabbath. It is written about him, “If he takes to himself another” because there is another
secular, which is not considered the secular part of the Sabbath, but of the impurity of a maid.
The secular part of Sabbath is the maid-servant in Beria, the body of an only daughter, where
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the only daughter, Malchut de Atzilut clothes in it like a soul in a body. It is about that, that it
is written, “If he takes to himself another.”
7) There is a soul called “maid,” there is a soul called “maid-servant,” and there is a soul
called “the king’s daughter.” Each is named after the place from which it is extended or to
which it incarnated. And here there is a man, as it is written, “A man who should sell his
daughter for a maid,” it is written about him, “The Lord is a man of war,” meaning ZA de
Atzilut. And there is a man of whom it is written, “And the man Gabriel,” in the world of
Beria. And also, “Should a man,” meaning the Creator, “Sell his daughter,” Neshama de
Atzilut, who is called an only daughter, “For a maid,” meaning that she would incarnate into
the world of Beria where she is the body of Divinity, called “maid”?
8) For this reason, a soul that has been forced to incarnate, if she is the daughter of the
Creator, extended from Malchut de Atzilut, do not say that she was sold in a foreign body of a
Klipa, where there is domination of the evil inclination, from the side of SAM, since it is
written, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another.” “Another” is
the evil inclination, since if the Neshama is from Atzilut, even if she incarnates into the world
of Beria, there is neither work in it nor enslavement by the Klipot.
9) Do not say that the body in which there is the king’s daughter, who is called a “maid,” was
sold in the lower Ketarim [plural of Keter] of the Tuma’a [impurity]. It is written about it,
“The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine.” The body of the king’s
daughter is Matat, and she is the maid of Divinity, in which Divinity clothes. Even though she
is a Neshama of a king’s daughter that is imprisoned there, she comes there in an incarnation,
as it is written about it, “If a man sells his daughter as a maid, she will not go out as the manservants do.”
10) “If a man sells” is the Creator. “His daughter” is Israel, from the side of the only daughter,
extended from Malchut. Do not say that they will go out in the future, as they went out fleeing
from Egypt, since they were from the side of the servant, Matat. It is written about that, “She
will not go out as the man-servants do.” And it is written, “But you will not go out in haste,
nor will you go as fugitives,” as it was during the exit from the side of the servant Matat.
11) When one is born, he is given Nefesh on the part of the beast, on the part of purity, on the
part of those called “holy Ofanim,” from the world of Assiya. If he is rewarded further, he is
given Ruach on the part of holy animals from the world of Yetzira. If he is rewarded further,
he is given Neshama on the part of the throne from the world of Beria. Those three are maid,
man-servant, and maid-servant of the king’s daughter, meaning NRN from the expansion of
Malchut in BYA. Maid is Neshama in Beria, man-servant is Ruach in Yetzira, and maidservant is Nefesh in Assiya.
12) If he is rewarded further, he is given Nefesh, as in Atzilut, on the part of the only daughter,
who is called “the king’s daughter,” Malchut de Atzilut. If he is rewarded further, he is given
Ruach de Atzilut on the part of the middle pillar, ZA, and he is called “a son of the Creator,”
as it is written, “You are the children of the Lord your God.” If he is rewarded further, he is
given Neshama on the part of AVI, Bina, as it is written, “And He breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life.” “Life” is Yod-Hey, AVI, of whom it is written, “The whole soul praises
Koh [the Lord, Yod-Hey],” and the name HaVaYaH is completed in them because Ruach and
Nefesh de Atzilut are Vav-Hey, and Neshama de Atzilut is Yod-Hey, and together, they are
HaVaYaH.
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13) If he is rewarded further, he is given HaVaYaH with a filling of letters such as this: YodHe-Vav-He, who is Adam [man], 45 in Gematria, as in Atzilut above, meaning ZA, when
clothing upper AVI, who are Hochma, the letters Chaf-Het Mem-Hey [forming the word
Hochma in Hebrew]. He is named after the form of his master, and it is written about him,
“And reign over the fish of the sea and the bird of the sky, and any animal that swarms over
the earth.” This is the one whose dominion is over all the firmaments, all the Ofanim and the
Serafim, and the animals in all the hosts and powers above and below. For this reason, when
one is rewarded with Nefesh on the part of the only daughter, it is written about him, “She will
not go out as the man-servants do.”
The Grandfather
15) Who is a serpent that flies in the air and walks in separation? Whatever the case, there is
rest for one ant that lies between its teeth. It begins in bonding, and ends in separation. And
who is he? An eagle that nests in a tree that never was. His sons, who were stolen, are not of
the creations, since they were created in a place where they were not created. When they rise
they fall, and when they fall they rise, two that are one, and one that are three. What is a
handsome maiden who has no eyes and the body is concealed and revealed? She comes out in
the morning and covers during the day. She adorns herself in adornments that never were.
The Mochin of the left that appear through the exit of the Yod from the Avir in Shuruk are
regarded as flying in the air. Then the Malchut is without a Zivug with ZA, and as long as they
are without the right, there is suction to the Sitra Achra, and the serpent flies in the air and
sucks from the Kedusha [holiness]. When the middle line comes and diminishes the left
through the Masach de Hirik, so it will not shine from above downwards but only from below
upwards, by that, it connects with the right and the serpent parts from the Kedusha, for it has
nothing more to suck.
These Dinim of the Masach de Hirik, which repel the serpent from sucking from the left line
are from the Dinim of Tzimtzum Bet, which came by the ascent of the Masach to Bina, and the
serpent clings to these Dinim. The venom between the serpent’s teeth, with which it kills
people, is from the Dinim of Tzimtzum Aleph [first restriction], meaning only from Malchut.
That venom is called “an ant,” since when the serpent has the strength to cling to Dinim of
Tzimtzum Bet [second restriction], which rise up to Bina, it leaves the Dinim de Tzimtzum
Aleph, which are only in Malchut. Hence, that ant has rest, meaning that she lies between its
teeth, for she is from the Dinim of Tzimtzum Aleph. And when Malchut is in a Zivug with ZA
and the left line shines in her, if the serpent comes near to suck from the left, the Zivug
immediately parts and he has nothing to suck.
Bina is called “an eagle” and there is no Din in her. Rather, he is merciful toward his sons,
ZON, and she accepts to her the Dinim of Malchut, and by that she is diminished into VAK to
give Mochin to ZON. At the time of Gadlut, the Dinim descend from Bina to Malchut, and
Bina returns to GAR, giving Mochin to ZON.
Mochin de VAK are called “tree.” The eagle, Bina, nests there because she received the Dinim
of Malchut. However, this tree is not as it was because afterwards, at the time of Gadlut, the
Dinim come down from Bina and it becomes apparent that there was no Din in Bina.
When Israel are in exile, the sons, ZON, are robbed from the mother, Bina, meaning that the
Sitra Achra sucks from the Dinim in ZON. However, those Dinim come from the Bina when
she is in Katnut due to Malchut’s ascent to her. And since the Dinim de Bina are in a tree
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where they were not—especially the Dinim in ZON that are received from her, which are as
though they never were—those Dinim that extend from Bina are called “created” or
“creation.”
This is why he says that his sons were robbed, that the Sitra Achra sucks from the Dinim in
them, that by that, they rob the abundance during the exile, and they are not of the people,
meaning that there are no Dinim of creation [Beria] in them, since they were created in Dinim
de Bina, in Beresheet [In the beginning], in a place where they were not. The place itself,
Bina, is not considered Beria, since the Dinim in her are in a tree that never was. It is
especially so with ZON, who receive from her. It follows that the whole grip of the Sitra
Achra in ZON during the exile is unjust.
When the middle line decides between right and left, it corrects the left to illuminate only
from below upwards, and the right—from above downwards. The illuminations of the right
from before were illuminating in ascent from below upwards, meaning that they were in VAK.
Now they shine in descent—from above downwards—and the illuminations of the left, which
previously illuminated from above downwards, in descent, now illuminate in ascent, from
below upwards. By that, the two lines, right and left, became one—two that are one. And one
that are three means that the middle line, which is one, inherits all three lines and becomes
three.
Once Malchut diminished and descended to from Chazeh de ZA and below, she has no more
Hochma of her own. Instead, she is a handsome maiden with no eyes, for Hochma is called
“eyes.” She receives the Hochma that she has from ZA, and the body is concealed and
revealed, for once she is covered from illumination of Hochma, and once the Hochma in her
is revealed.
She comes out to illuminate in Hochma in a Zivug in the morning darkness, and in the day,
she is governed by ZA and the Hochma in her is covered, as in ZA. She adorns herself in
adornments that never were, meaning that the adornments extend to her from Dinim and
Katnut de Bina, and since the Dinim de Bina are in a tree that never was, those adornments
are all regarded as never having been.
21) “If a priest's daughter is married to a foreign man, she shall not eat of the offering of the
gifts.” This verse relies on another verse, “But if a priest's daughter becomes a widow or
divorced, and has no child and returns to her father's house as in her youth, she shall eat of her
father's bread.” The words of Torah are hidden words, for there are meanings to each and
every thing.
22) How many are the words of wisdom that are hidden within each word in the Torah, and
which are known to sages who know the ways of Torah? The Torah is not the words of
dreams, given to the one who solves them, and following that mouth that solves them. Rather,
they must be solved according to their ways. And if words of dreams should be solved
according to their ways, then words of Torah, which are entertainments of the holy King, are
all the more so, meaning that she is required to walk in the way of truth in them, as it is
written, “For the ways of the Lord are right.”
23) A priest’s daughter is a high soul, the daughter of Abraham the patriarch, the first of the
proselytes, Hesed, and he extends to this soul from a high place, Bina. There is a priest who is
called “a man priest,” and not an actual priest. Similarly, there is a priest,, there is a deputy,
there is a high priest, and there is a priest who is not great. A plain priest is greater and higher
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than a man priest. Hence, there are degrees NRN in the soul: Neshama from the high priest,
Ruach from a plain priest, and Nefesh from a man priest.
24) “And if a priest's daughter be married unto a foreign man.” This is the holy soul that was
extended from a high place, Bina, and entered the hidden one of the tree of life, ZA. When the
wind of the high priest, Hesed de ZA, blows and gives souls, clothing the souls with Hesed
and placing them in this tree, ZA, the souls flee from there and enter a treasure, Malchut.
25) Woe unto the world when people do not know how to beware, for the they draw the
extension of the soul into a body during their Zivug with the evil inclination—a foreign
man—and the priest’s daughter, the soul, flees down and finds a body in a foreign man. And
because it is her master’s will, she enters there, yields, and cannot govern and is not
completed in this world when she departs it. She will not eat in the contribution of the holies,
as do all other souls who were completed in this world.
26) “And if a priest's daughter be married unto a foreign man.” The holy soul is shamed
because she will be married to a foreign man, meaning extended over a converted proselyte,
blooming over him from the Garden of Eden in a clandestine way, over a body that is built
from the impure foreskin because his fathers were not circumcised. This is the meaning of
“Unto a foreign man.”
27) There are scales to weigh on, on the right hand side and on the left hand side of the pillar
that stands inside the air that breathes. On the right side are scales of Tzedek [justice], and on
the left side, scales of deceit. These scales are never restful and the souls go up and down,
coming and going through these scales. There are robbed souls, when Adam of the Sitra
Achra governs Adam of Kedusha [holiness], as it is written, “When the man has power over
the man to harm him.”
The middle line decides and sustains the two lines, right and left, separates between them,
where the right line illuminates from above to below, and the left line illuminates from below
to above, and not from above to below. The middle pillar sustains the two lights right and left,
and weighs them as if on a scale, where the illumination of the right line draws down to the
lower ones, and the illumination of the left line raises up. By that, the balance pivot stands in
the middle, leaning neither to the right nor to the left, but to both, each according to its way. It
is said, “Inside the air that breathes” because the illumination of the left appears through the
exit of the Yod from the Avir [air], the point of Shuruk.
When the middle pillar illuminates in Malchut, two scales are made there.
Scales of Tzedek, like the middle pillar, to draw illumination of the right from above
downwards, and illumination of the left only from below upwards.
Scales of deceit, the grip of the Sitra Achra, who draw illumination of the left from
above downwards.
Because of these two scales, Malchut is called “the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” If the
soul receives from the scales of deceit, she is robbed by the Sitra Achra and falls into her
hands. These are called “the robbed souls.” At that time, it is written, “When the man has
power over the man to harm him,” when Adam of the Sitra Achra governs Adam of Kedusha,
yet it is to harm him.
28) But this soul, which the Sitra Achra—who is called “a foreign man”—had, and which
was robbed by him, is harmful to him, to that foreigner. “She shall not eat of the offering of
the gifts,” as do other souls, until the Creator corrects her, as it is written, “If a priest's
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daughter is married to a foreign man,” it will be so that she will not eat of the offering of the
gifts.
29) How are the souls robbed? This world is lead by the tree of knowledge of good and evil,
Malchut. When the people of the world behave on the good side, in determining to the middle
line, the scales stand and decide to the good side. When behaving as the bad side—extending
illumination of the left from above downwards—the scales sentence to the side of the Sitra
Achra, and the Sitra Achra robs and takes all the souls that were on the scales at that time.
30) But it is to harm him, the Sitra Achra, since those souls surrender everything that they
find from the evil side and obliterate it. The sign of that is the holy ark, which was robbed by
the Philistines and they governed it, to their detriment.
31) What came out of those robbed souls? They became the righteous of the nations of the
world and bastards, disciples of the wise. Yet, bastards, disciples of the wise come before an
uneducated high priest. They are the most important in the world, even though the high priest
enters the deepest of the holy of holies.
32) It is written about the robbed souls, “If a man sells his daughter as a maid, she will not go
out as the man-servants do, if she is displeasing in the eyes of her master.” O Lord of the
world, who will not fear You, who governs all the kings of the world, as it is written, “Who
will not fear You, O king of the nations; indeed it is Your due.”
33) How many are the people in the world who are confused and err in this verse? They all
say it, but the verse does not straighten out in their mouths. Is the Creator called “king of the
nations”? Is He not the king of Israel? Indeed, so He is called, as it is written, “When the Most
High gave the nations their inheritance.” It is also written, “For the portion of the Lord is His
people,” for which He is called “king of Israel.” And should you say that He is called “king of
the nations,” it is a praise for them that the Creator rules over them, and not as they say, that
they were given to His servants and appointees.
34) Moreover, the end of the verse writes, “For among all the wise men of the nations and in
all their kingdoms, there is none like You.” All this is praise to the rest of the nations, so it is a
wonder that they do not rise in this verse to the height of the firmament. After all, the verse
gives their sages and their kingship some relation to the Creator, for which it should be said
that the Creator is greater than them.
However, the Creator blinds their eyes and they do not know of Him at all. This is the
meaning of what we say, that they are all nothing, zero, Tohu [void], as it is written, “All the
nations are as nothing before Him. They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and
meaningless.” However, this verse ascribes high and honorable importance to them, for it is
written, “For among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none
like You,” and it is written, “God rules over nations.”
36) All the names and all the appellations of the Creator expand to their ways, all clothe in
one another, and all divide into certain ways and trails, except for one name, which is clearer
than all other names, which He has inherited to the only nation that is clearer than all other
nations. It is Yod He Vav He, as it is written, “For the portion of the Lord is His people.” It is
also written, “And you that cleave unto the Lord,” who cling to this very name more than to
all other names.
37) And one name from among all those names, which expanded into several ways and trails,
is called Elokim [God]. He inherited this name and it was dispensed to the lower ones in this
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world. This name was dispensed to the servants and appointees that lead the rest of the
nations, as it is written, “And God came to Balaam at night.” It is also written, “And God
came unto Abimelech in the night’s dream.”
Similarly, each appointee that the Creator inherited to the rest of the nations is included in this
name. Even idol worship is included in this name, and this name was king over the nations,
and not the other name, which was king over Israel, the name of the Lord [HaVaYaH], who is
unique to the unique nation, the nation of Israel, the holy nation.
38) “Who will not fear You, O king of the nations?” We should not understand the words as
the name Elokim being king over the nations, in whom there is fear and Din. It is not written
about that, for if so, even idol worship would be included in this rule, “Who will not fear
You,” for idol worship, too, is called God.
39) “Who will not fear You, O king of the nations?” It is not written “King of the nations”
about the Creator. Rather, the meaning is “Who is the king of the nations who will not fear
You, will not be frightened of You or shaken by You?” It is as though it were written “Who is
the king of the nations who will not fear You?” Similarly, in the verse, “Praise the Lord!
Praise the servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord,” one who hears it does not know
what he said. Since he said, “Praise the Lord,” he also said, “Praise the servants of the Lord,”
while it should have said, “Servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.” Yet, it is
necessary that even though he first said, “Praise the Lord,” relating to the servants of the
Lord, here too, even though he first said, “Who will not fear You,” it relates to the king of the
nations. It is as though it were written, “Who is the king of the nations who will not fear
You?” and all is said as it should be.
40) “For among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like
You.” “There is none like You” is the word that spreads among them in their wisdom and
they all thank for it. When they see Your deeds and might in their wisdom, this word spreads
among them and they say, “There is none like You.” The meaning of the words is that among
all the sages of the nations and in all their kingdoms there are none like You, they say, and it
spreads among them.
41) “And she said to Abraham, ‘Drive out this maid and her son.’” Sarah wished to clear out
idolatry from the house. This is why it is written, “In all that Sarah tells you, listen to her.” A
maid is idol worship. Here it is written, “If a man sells his daughter,” the soul that comes by
incarnations for bad deeds in the world. The maid is the other side, in the bad incarnation of
the scales, when they return to the scales of deceit and she is robbed by the Sitra Achra. To
bring her out of there, “She will not go out as the man-servants do,” who are all the robbed
souls. Rather, she is crowned with a crown on her head.
42) The souls here are souls of little children who suckle from the power of their mothers. The
Creator sees that if they exist in the world they will rot and will become as sour as vinegar.
Hence, He collects them while they are small, when they still give off a good scent.
43) The Creator leaves them to be robbed by the maid, Lilit, and when they are given into her
possession, she delights in the child, robs it and takes it out of the world while it is still
suckling from the power of its mother.
44) These souls will not do good in the world, as it is written, “If she is displeasing in the eyes
of her master,” since this man will be spoiled in her after some time if he exists in her. This
soul is robbed and another is not robbed. It is written about them, “And I saw all the
oppressed.” This is the meaning of “If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master.”
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45) “If she is bad in the eyes of her master, for whom she was designated, he shall let her be
redeemed. He shall not sell her to a foreign people because he is deceitful with her.” “For
whom she was designated.” “For whom” is written with an Aleph [rather than with the usual
Vav]. If you say that the Creator gave her to the other side since her first day, it is not so
because now in the circling of the scales, “For whom she was designated,” “For whom” with
a Vav, which was not so before.
46) It is written, “He shall let her be redeemed.” Now he redeems her for the Creator while
she still emits a good fragrance, before she grows sour, and elevates her to the heights above,
to His seminary. If you say that since she was robbed by the other, he is giving her to the
righteous of the rest of the nations and to bastards, disciples of the wise, the text comes and
proves, “He shall not sell her to a foreign people,” indeed, “Because he is deceitful with her,”
since he has robbed her with the robbing of the circling of the scales. Rather, he shall give her
to Israel and not to another. And when she comes out of the scales, “She will not go out as the
man-servants do.” Rather, she is crowned with a crown high on her head.
47) And that side did not come within that child; she has no control over his soul. Rather, she
takes her and rejoices with her, she flies out of her hands and enters the place of the Sitra
Achra. And the Sitra Achra commands the child and rejoices with him and laughs at him, and
longs for that flesh until afterwards the Creator takes his soul and she takes his body. After
that, everything is in the possession of the Creator.
48) “She will not go out as the man-servants do.” What is, “As the man-servants do”? When
she leaves the scales and that side is in joy, the Creator lists her and seals her with a ring, and
spreads over her His garment of honor, the holy name Elokah. This is “Because he is deceitful
with her,” in the garment of honor of the King [“garment” and “deceit” are the same word
here]. Then she is kept from being delivered to a foreign people—to righteous of the nations
of the world and to bastards, disciples of the wise—but only to Israel.
49) It is written, “As in the days when God watched over me.” This is the garment of honor,
Elokah. It is written about it, “He shall not sell her to a foreign people because he is deceitful
with her,” while the King’s garment of honor is still in her.” Since His garment is in her, it is
written, “He shall not sell her to a foreign people.”
50) What is the permission that the Creator gives to the Sitra Achra to rob the soul? All the
people in the world are in possession of the holy King, and all have time to live in this world
until He wishes to raise them from the world, and the Sitra Achra has no permission to harm
them prior to that time. But that soul does not have allotted time to live, hence the Sitra Achra
laughs at her, rejoices in her, and takes her out of the world. It follows that by not allotting her
time, the Sitra Achra is given permission to rob her.
51) When the Creator wished to create the world, a desire rose within Him and He portrayed
all the souls that were to be given to people. All were portrayed before Him in that very form
that they were destined to have in people and He saw each and every one.
52) Some of them are destined to harm their ways in the world, and when their time to
descend to the world has come, the Creator calls upon that soul and tells her, “Go, come into a
certain place, within a certain body.” She replied to Him, “Lord of the world, I am content
with this world, where I dwell, and I will not go to another world where I will be enslaved and
dirty among them.” The Creator replied to her, “Since the day you were created, you were
created for this, to be in that world in a body.” When the soul sees it, she unwillingly comes
down and enters a body there.
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53) When the Torah, which advises the entire world, sees it, she warns the people of the world
and says, “See how merciful is the Creator over you. He sold the good gem that He had, the
soul, for nothing so that you would work in it in this world.”
54) “If a man sells his daughter” is the Creator. “His daughter” is the holy soul. “As a maid”
means to be a maidservant, enslaved among you in this world. “Please, when it is time for her
to exit this world, let her not go out as the servants do; let her not go out soiled with iniquities;
let her go out free, clear, and clean so that her Master will rejoice, be praised in her, and
reward her well with the purities in the Garden of Eden, as it is written, ‘And satisfy your soul
with purities,’ when the soul comes out clear and clean.”
55) But if she is evil in the eyes of her Master, when she comes out soiled with the filth of
iniquities and does not appear properly before Him, woe unto the body that has been lost from
that soul forever, since when the souls rise clear and come out of this world clean, each soul
enters the book in the King’s pouch.” A pouch is a leather pocket in which to put books,
notes, and papers that are all named. He said, “This is the soul of so and so and is destined for
that body which she left.” Then it is written, “For whom she was designated.”
56) When she is bad in the eyes of her Master because she is defiled with iniquities and the
filth of sins, then it is written, “He shall not sell her” with an Aleph, and that body is lost from
her and she is not designated for it, except for that soul whose master wishes, when the body
repents. Then it is written, “He shall let her be redeemed,” as it is written, “He redeemed his
soul from going through hay.” “He shall let her be redeemed” relates to the man, whose
counsel is to redeem her and repent. And the writing tells the two sides, “He shall let her be
redeemed” over the Creator and “He shall let her be redeemed” from Hell. In relation to man,
“He shall let her be redeemed” means that after he has repented, the Creator redeems them
from the path of Hell.
57) “He shall not sell her to a foreign people.” Who is a foreign people? When the soul goes
out of the world, she is shamed and the man strays from the way with her. She seeks to rise
into the holy camps because the holy camps stand on the way of the Garden of Eden, and the
camps of the foreigners, the harm-doing angels, stand in the way of Hell.
58) When the soul is rewarded with keeping the spreading of the garment of honor over her,
the name Elokah [God] is over her. Several holy camps are intended for her, to bond with her
and to bring her to the Garden of Eden. If she is not rewarded, several foreign camps are
intended for her, to bring her to Hell, and these harm-doing angels are destined to take
vengeance in her.
The writing comes and instructs about it, “He shall not sell her to a foreign people,” which are
the harm-doing angels. “Because he is deceitful with her” is the clothing of keeping, the name
Elokah that the Creator spreads over her and performs His keeping of her, so no foreign
people will rule her.
59) How much should one be careful of deviating in his ways in this world? If a person is
rewarded in this world and properly watches over the soul, the Creator desires him and is
praised with him each day in His company. He says, “See the holy son that I have in that
world. He did so and so, and so and so are his deeds corrected.”
60) When that soul comes out of this world pure, clean, and clear, the Creator illuminates for
her with several lights. Each day, He declares about her, “This is the soul of My son, so and
so. There will be keeping to that body that she left.”
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61) “If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of
daughters.” What is the custom of daughters? Within the strong rock, the world of Beria, in
that high firmament which is there, is a palace of love that stands under the holy of holies of
Beria. There are hidden treasures there, and all the kisses of the King’s love are there, and
souls that are loved by the King enter there.
62) When the King enters the palace, it is written, “And Jacob kissed Rachel,” for there is
Zivug de Neshikin [a coupling of kissing] there, and there the Creator finds that holy soul. He
promptly greets her and kisses her, embracing her and elevating her with Him, and plays with
her.
63) “He shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.” As the father does to his
daughter, whom he loves, kissing her, embracing her, and giving her gifts, the Creator does to
the pure soul each day.
64) It is written, “Will do for the one who waits for Him.” As the daughter, the soul,
complements the Assiya in this world, the Creator complements another Assiya for her in the
next world, as it is written, “Neither has the eye seen a God besides You, will do for the one
who waits for Him.” And here it is written, “Will do for her.” This bears the same meaning,
“doing” and “doing,” for the doing here is “Neither has the eye seen a God besides You,” too.
65) “If he takes to himself another.” What is “Another”? Did the Creator prepare another soul
for the righteous in this world? Is it not the same soul that has complemented her Master’s
will in this world? It follows that there is no guarantee for the righteous whatsoever.
66) “And the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave
it.” The friends established this verse at the ruin of the Temple, “And the dust shall return to
the earth as it was.” Here it is as it is written, “And the Canaanite was then in the land.”
Indeed he was, since after the ruin, the land returned to the possession of the Klipa of Canaan
as it was in the beginning. “And the spirit will return to God who gave it.” That spirit which
shall return is Divinity, which is the holy spirit. When Divinity saw, in those ten journeys that
she traveled, that Israel did not wish to repent before the Creator and that the Sitra Achra was
governing the holy land, Divinity departed and returned to God.
67) The spirit of a righteous man is crowned in a form in the lower Garden of Eden, and on all
the Sabbaths, appointed days, and beginnings of months, the spirits crown themselves and
take off their form from the lower Garden of Eden. They rise up to the upper Garden of Eden,
and as the Creator did in the holy soul above, He does with this spirit below in the lower
Garden of Eden, which rose before Him. He says, “This is the spirit of the body of so and so.”
Promptly, the Creator crowns that spirit with several crowns and plays with her.
68) The Creator does not leave what He does for the soul for that spirit. Rather, He does not
deny her food, clothing, and conjugal rights. These are three upper names that “Neither has
the eye seen a God besides You,” which is Bina.
69) They are all in the next world, Bina, and extend from there. “Her food” is an extension of
sparkling and light, Ohr Hozer and Ohr Yashar [reflected light and direct light, respectively],
which shine in a clandestine way. It is food that nourishes all, HaVaYaH punctuated as
Elokim, Bina. “Her food” with its letters reversed means “That God.” “That” is Bina, the first
Hey of HaVaYaH, and this is the meaning of “Asher, his bread shall be fat” because the food
extends from her.
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70) “Her clothing” is the spreading that the King spreads over her, the garment of honor of the
name Elokah. It is another extension that illuminates and always keeps the soul. This is the
meaning of “His garment is in her” always, for He is not absent from her.
71) “Her conjugal rights” is an extension from the next world, Bina, in which there is
everything—the Lord of hosts, the name in NHY de Bina, which illuminates in all the hidden
upper lights of the tree of life, in which there is the hidden coupling, from which she comes
out. And all of that is in refinement and craving of the next world, Bina.
72) When she is properly rewarded, He will not deny her those three. And if she is not proper,
those three are denied of her, so no crown is made for her from even one of them. It is written,
“If he will not do these three things for her,” meaning if she is not rewarded, “then she shall
go out for nothing, without money.” That is, she will go out of Him and will be rejected to the
outside. “Without money” means she has no longing, craving, and no refinement at all.
73) Thus far, the Torah has proven that all the counsels depend on her, and she gives a good
advice to people. Henceforth, we will return to the first words in the upper keeping that the
Creator spreads over the soul so she will not become a foreign people, “For His garment is in
her” and He is always guarding for her.
74) “If he designates her for his son.” “If he designates her for his son”—how can it be said
“The son of the Creator”? And how can it be that there will be a discernment of father and son
in the upper degrees? However, there is the matter of sowing the beans on the day of the
snow. The day of the snow is male Dinim that extend from the domination of the left line.
Sowing means preparing for the concealment of the light, at the end of which the concealment
is inverted into a great disclosure like the sowing of good wheat in the ground: they disappear
and decay there but eventually re-grow abundant crops. The sowing is the rising of Malchut to
Bina, which caused the fall of their Bina and TM from all the degrees to the degree below her.
The ascent of Malchut to Bina through the middle line is called “the day of the snow,” the
domination of the Dinim of the left line. Beans were sown into 52 wheels, where by the
middle line Malchut rose to Bina, her Bina and TM fell to ZA, and Malchut rose to Bina de
ZON, while their TM fell to the souls of the righteous. And through this concealment emerged
all the Mochin de ZON and BYA.
This is the sowing of the beans. Sowing, since the concealment later becomes a great
disclosure, during the Gadlut. Beans [Pulim] come from the word “falling” [Nefillah],
meaning the fall of the bottom halves of degrees from each degree to the degree below it. It is
known that this ascent of Malchut to Bina made a connection between Bina and ZA, when HB
de Bina became AVI to ZA, and ZA became a son to them. Thus, a connection between the
degrees was made, when the HB of the upper one became AVI, and the lower one became
BON. Hence, as ZA became a son to Hochma and Bina through it, the righteous became a son
to ZA. “If he designates her for his son” means that the lower righteous is considered a son to
the Creator, as ZA is to Bina.
76) Anyone who is rewarded with thirteen years or more is considered a son of the Assembly
of Israel, Malchut. And anyone who is twenty years of age or more and is rewarded with it is
considered a son of the Creator, ZA, as it is written, “You the sons of the Lord your God.”
There are two kinds of GAR: GAR that extend from YESHSUT, which are Mochin de
Neshama to ZON. Only the small ZON, which clothe ZA from the Chazeh and below, receive
these GAR. But ZA himself still remains in VAK until the GAR of upper AVI are drawn to him.
Then ZA, too, obtains GAR himself, which are Mochin de Haya. The small ZON settle for
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GAR de YESHSUT, and both are regarded as Malchut because they clothe the place from
Chazeh de ZA and below, a place which belongs entirely to Malchut.
So it is in the lower ones: if a person obtains Mochin de Neshama, he receives them from the
small ZON, who receive from YESHSUT. And if a person obtains Mochin de Haya, he
receives them from ZA himself. When he is thirteen years of age or more he receives Mochin
de Neshama, and when he is twenty or above he receives Mochin de Haya.
Anyone who is rewarded with thirteen years of age or more is called “a son of the Assembly
of Israel,” for then he receives Mochin de Neshama from the small ZON, both of which are
the Assembly of Israel, Malchut. This is why he is considered her son, but not of ZA himself.
At twenty years or more he is considered a son of the Creator because then he receives
Mochin de Haya from ZA himself, who receives from upper AVI, hence he is called “a son of
ZA,” the Creator.
77) When David reached thirteen years and was rewarded on the day he entered the
fourteenth, it is written, “The Lord said unto me: ‘You are My son, this day I have begotten
you.’” It is so because previously he was not His son, meaning that the upper soul was not
over him because he was in his foreskin years. This is why it is written, “This day I have
begotten you.” “I” and not the other side, as it was thus far, but now I am alone. At twenty
years, he was rewarded with Mochin de Haya and through them became a son of the Creator,
ZA.
78) “If he designates her for his son” means from thirteen years on. At that time, he departs
the authority of the other side that came by him.
It is written, “Shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.” Each day the Creator
sees that child who stands in possession of the foreskin, and comes out of it and extends to the
school and breaks it, going to the seminary and breaks it. What does the Creator do to that
soul? He admits her into His room and gives her many gifts and presents, and adorns her with
sublime decorations until the time when He brings her to the Huppah [wedding canopy] in
that son, when He clothes her in him from thirteen years on.
79) “If he takes to himself another” means on the Sabbath day. When the day begins, souls
come out of the tree of life, ZA, and these souls breathe to the lower ones. Then the lower
ones rest in them all through the Sabbath day. These are the added soul [Neshama] that the
righteous obtain on the Sabbath day. When the Sabbath ends, all the souls rise once more and
crown themselves in holy crowns above.
Here, too, the Creator provides man with an added soul on the Sabbath day. This is another
soul, of which it is written, “If he takes to himself another.” And even though this soul was
provided for him, he will not deny the food, clothing, and conjugal rights of the first soul,
which he had in the beginning.
80) How you have labored to obtain these holy words, and now you say them in an instant. If
you intend to spare them, these words, and not say them, it is written, “Do not withhold good
from its owner when it is in your power to do so.”
81) Wherever words of Torah are said, the Creator and the Assembly of Israel, Malchut, are
there, and they are listened to. Then the good side prevails in the tree of good and evil,
Malchut, and rises up, and the Creator and the Assembly of Israel are crowned in good.
83) “O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty.” “O
Lord my God” is the beginning of faith, the ascent of thought, Hochma, and the next world,
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Bina, and they are one, without separation because AVI, HB, do not separate. “You are very
great” is the beginning of ZAT, the first day, the first Sefira, Hesed. These are ancient days,
meaning that she receives from Sefirot de Atik, and she is right. “Very” means left, Gevura.
84) “You are clothed with splendor and majesty” are two branches of willow trees, NH. The
tree of life, Tifferet, was not counted because of the “Very,” left, for all the branches below
amount to one bitter branch, SAM, and are included in the left. This is why the tree of life was
hidden and did not wish to be in that count until he returned as in the beginning and praised in
a different manner.
85) “Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. He
lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters.” Covering Yourself with light as with a
cloak” is the beginning of the first day, Hesed. “Stretching out heaven” is Tifferet, who is
called “heaven.” Here the left, Gevura, is included, but it does not write “Very” because the
left is included in the right so it will illuminate in the entire heaven, Tifferet. “He lays the
beams of His upper chambers in the waters.” Here the tree of life comes out gladly, a river
that comes out of Eden, Tifferet, and two branches of willow tree are rooted in its waters, NH,
which grow in its waters. His ascents are branches of willows, NH.
86) It is written, “Who extends its roots by a stream,” and it is written, “A river whose
streams make glad the city of God.” “Whose streams” are its roots, NH. They are called “its
ascents,” “its roots,” “its streams,” and they are all rooted in the water of the river, Tifferet.
87) “He rides the clouds.” Clouds are Michael and Gabriel. “He walks upon the wings of the
wind” to give healing to the world. This is Rafael. Henceforth, “He makes the winds His
angels, flaming fire His ministers.”
88) “If he takes to himself another.” Several incarnations sleep here, which have not been
revealed thus far, and all are true as it should be, since one must not stray from the path of
truth even as a hair’s breadth. In the beginning, it should be commented, all the souls of the
foreigners flee from the Garden of Eden by a hidden road and clothe in foreigners. When the
souls that the foreigners gained from the Garden of Eden depart this world, to which place do
they return? Who raises them back to the place from which they came out, to the Garden of
Eden?
89) He who first takes and grips the assets of the foreigner who has no heirs is rewarded with
them. Here, too, all those holy upper souls that the Creator summoned to come down come
out on Sabbath and good day and beginnings of months to play in the Garden of Eden and
meet those souls of the foreigners. Which of those souls that she grips is rewarded with them
and clothe in them and they rise? They all stand in that clothing and descend to the Garden of
Eden in that garment, since all those who are in the Garden of Eden stand there only in a
clothing. It follows that those souls raise the souls of the foreigners back to the Garden of
Eden.
90) Can it be that because of the clothing of the souls of the foreigners, these souls are
deprived of all the pleasure that they had in the beginning? It is written about it, “If he takes to
himself another, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights.” Those who
were first to grip them and were rewarded with them stand in this garment in the Garden of
Eden, meaning the clothing from the souls of the foreigners. When they rise up, they take it
off because up there one does not stand in clothing.
92) When all those holy souls come down to this world, so that each will be in her rightful
place in people, they all come down and clothe those souls of the foreigners, and thus enter
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the holy seed. In that clothing, they are about to be enslaved by them in this world, with
Mitzvot and with good deeds. When the garments are drawn out of the words of this world,
from the Mitzvot, these holy souls are nourished by the scent that they smell from these
garments of theirs.
The garments from the souls of the foreigners became intermediaries between the souls and
the body. The Mitzvot that a person performs reach the garments and the souls receive
nourishments from the scent that they smell from the garments. The souls themselves are high
and do not become enslaved by the act of the body, but their garments are enslaved by the act
of Mitzvot, and the souls receive of the scent of the clothes.
93) The Creator puts all the hidden things He does into the holy Torah and everything is in the
Torah. The Torah reveals a hidden thing and promptly dresses in another garment, hides there
and does not appear. The sages are filled with eyes, and even though that thing hid in its
garment they see it from within the garment. When that thing is revealed, they cast opening of
eyes in it before it reenters its garment, and although it promptly disappears, it no longer
disappears from their eyes.
94) The Creator warned in regard to the foreigner in several places that the holy seed, Israel,
should be careful with it, and that afterwards the hidden thing will come out of its sheath,
from its cover. After it was revealed, it promptly returned to its sheath and clothed there.
95) When He warns of the foreigner in all those places, the thing comes out of its sheath and
appears, and He says, “You know the heart of the foreigner,” since the souls are clothed in it.
Promptly, she enters her sheath and returns to her garment and hides, as it is written,
“Because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.” This is a secondary reason, and the
writing thinks that because it immediately clothed, there was no one to watch over that soul of
the foreigner. The soul knows the matters of this world and enjoys them, as it is an
intermediary between the soul and the body. This is why it is written, “You know the heart of
the foreigner.”
96) “And Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain.” A cloud is as
it is written, “I have set My bow in the cloud.” This bow is Malchut that receives three
colors—white, red, green—which are her clothes from the three lines of ZA. She took off her
clothes and gave them to Moses, and in that clothing, Moses went up to the mountain. From
it, he saw what he saw and enjoyed everything.
97) Many are the people in the world whose minds are confused and they do not see truthfully
in the Torah. Each day, the Torah calls upon them with love for them, yet they do not wish to
turn their heads back and listen to her.
98) In the Torah, a thing comes out of its sheath, appears briefly, and promptly hides. When it
appears out of the sheath and promptly hides, the Torah does it only for those who know her
and are known in her.
99) It is similar to a loved one, beautiful in appearance and shapely, who hides in her palace.
She has a lover of whom people do not know. Rather, he hides. Out of the love that he loves
her, that lover always passes by the gate to her house and looks in every direction. She knows
that her lover always circles the gate to her house. She opens a small door in her palace and
shows her face to her loved one, and promptly covers herself again.
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All those who were with the lover neither saw nor looked, only the lover alone, whose guts
and heart, and soul follow her. He knows that because of her love for him, she appears to him
for only a moment, to evoke the love for him.
So is a word of Torah: it appears only to the one who loves her. The Torah knows that that
wise of heart circles the gate to her house each day. What does she do? She shows her face
from within the palace, gives him a hint, and promptly returns to her place and hides. All
those from there neither know nor look, but he alone, whose guts and heart, and soul follow
her. This is why the Torah appears and covers, and goes to her loved one with love, to awaken
the love with him.
100) When the path of Torah begins to appear to a person, it hints at him. If he knows, fine. If
he does not know, she sends to him and calls him a fool. The Torah said to the one whom she
sent to him, “Tell that fool to come near here and I will speak with him.” It is written about it,
“Whoever is a fool, let him turn in here, and one who is heartless.” The man approaches her
and she begins to speak with him from behind a curtain, spreading matters his way according
to his ways until he gradually observes. This is the interpretation.
101) Then she speaks with him in riddles from behind a thin sheet. And once he grows
accustomed to her, she appears before him face-to-face and speaks with him of all the hidden
secrets and all the hidden ways that have been hidden in her hearts since the first days. Then
he is a ruling man, possessing Torah, master of the house, since she revealed to him all of her
secrets and did not keep away or hide anything from him.
102) The Torah says to him, “You have seen the hint that I hinted you initially. So and so
secrets were in it, so and so it is.” Then he sees that those words in the Torah need not be
added to or subtracted from, and then the literal meaning of the text is as it is—neither adding
nor subtracting even a single letter. Hence, people should be careful and chase after the Torah,
be among her lovers.
103) How great and sublime are the incarnations that incarnate in this text, since all the souls
come by incarnation, and people know the ways of the Creator, how the scales stand, how
people are sentenced each day and each time, how the souls are judged before they come into
this world, and how they are sentenced once they depart this world.
104) Several incarnations and abstruse deeds the Creator performs with several bare souls
who have no clothing of Torah and Mitzvot, and several bare spirits walk in that world, who
do not enter the King’s presence. Several worlds overturn for them, changing the order of
degrees, called “worlds,” for them.
The world overturns with several hidden wonders, and people neither know nor look. Indeed,
how souls incarnate as stones in the hollow of a sling, as it is written, “And the soul of your
enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling.”
105) All the souls come out from the big and strong tree, a river that comes out of Eden, ZA.
All the spirits come out of another, small tree, Malchut. A soul comes out from above, and a
spirit from below, and they join together as male and female. Then they shine upper light and
in the bonding of the two of them, it is called Ner [candle], an acronym of Neshama and
Ruach, as it is written, “The candle of the Lord is man’s soul.”
106) Neshama and Ruach are male and female, to shine together. They do not shine without
one another, and when they join together, all of it is called “a candle.” At that time the
Neshama is cloaked with Ruach to stand above in the upper Garden of Eden, in the hidden
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palace, as it is written, “For the spirit shall wrap before Me,” meaning that it wraps others.
Above, in the upper Garden of Eden, in a hidden palace, the soul [Neshama] wraps and
clothes in a spirit [Ruach].
107) And since there are Neshama and Ruach in this palace, the Nefesh does not come there,
but the Neshama dresses in Ruach there. And when she descends to the lower Garden of
Eden, she dresses in another Ruach, in the souls of the foreigners. The Neshama is in
everyone in this world, clothed in them in both her Ruach and in the souls of the foreigners.
108) That Ruach comes out of this world, meaning that he did not grow or expand in this
world, meaning that he has no sons. He walks in an incarnation, finds no rest, and comes to
the world as an incarnation of a stone in a hollow of a sling until he finds a redeemer to
redeem him—a brother who marries his widow—and brings him within that very Kli that he
was using, and to which his soul and spirit have always adhered, and who was his mate, spirit
in spirit, in his wife. That redeemer builds him as before, bringing him in a son that is born to
that married widow, who is his wife, and he returns to the life of this world as before.
109) And the spirit that the husband had left with his wife in the first marriage clings to that
Kli, to his wife, and never leaves her. Even after his death, he does not disappear, for there is
not even a small thing in the world that has no place and status in which to come and hide,
and it is never lost. For this reason, the spirit that he left in the Kli is there and chases after the
root and foundation from which he came out, meaning after the dead husband who had no
sons, and brings him and builds him in his stead, instead of the Ruach that is his mate, who
went out with him, in his wife, and he is built there as before. Now it is a new creation in the
world, a new spirit and a new body.
110) The spirit in the newborn son is what it was, meaning the man himself, and not the spirit
he had left with her in the first marriage, which is only a part of him. However, it was not
built in the newborn son, but by the force of the other spirit, which he had left in his wife.
That building that was built in the son that was born of the marriage of the widow was built
only by the force of the other spirit that he left there in that Kli, in his wife in the first
marriage. And when this spirit began to build, it pulled after it the spirit that was walking
bare, without sons, and pulled it to it. Thus, two spirits that are one were made there.
Afterwards, one became Ruach and the other Neshama, and they are both one.
111) If he is rewarded with being purified properly, they both became one, clothing another,
high soul in them. As the rest of the people in the world have a spirit that the souls are
rewarded with when they come first and grip it, the souls of the foreigners, and another spirit
from above, and the holy soul dresses in both of them. Thus, he has two spirits of his own: the
Ruach itself, and the Ruach that he left in his wife in the first marriage for the high soul to
clothe in them.
112) But there is another body to it, which was built anew by the marriage. What happened to
the first body that he left? Either this one is in vain or that one is in vain. According to man’s
mind, that first body that was not initially completed is lost because he was not rewarded.
Hence, he engaged in the Mitzvot of the Torah in vain, even if he engaged in only one of
them. But we know that even the empty ones in Israel are all filled with Mitzvot like a
pomegranate, and although this body was not complemented with multiplying or rewarded
with growing in the world, it kept other Mitzvot in the Torah, and they were not lost from him.
Was that in vain?
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113) Friends, open your eyes. You think and know that all those bodies are marked with
marks for no reason, that they never merit existence. It is not so and we must not consider
such matters.
114) “Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord, or sound all His praise?” Who is it in
the world who can speak of the mighty deeds that the Creator has always done in the world?
The first body that he left is not lost. In the future, it will exist, since it already suffered its
punishment in several ways, and the Creator does not deny the reward of any creation He has
created, except for those who have departed His faith and in whom there was never any
goodness, and except for those who did not kneel in “We thank” in the Eighteen Prayer. The
Creator makes other creatures of them because that body will not be built in the form of a
human being and will never rise. But this is not so for those who died without sons.
115) If that spirit is rewarded with being corrected in the other body, what does the Creator
do? The redeemer that redeemed him, the brother who married, that spirit of his—which he
put in there, mingling and mixing with that spirit that was in that Kli that his brother left in her
in the first marriage—is certainly not lost, since there are three spirits there. The first is a
spirit that was in that Kli and remained there, which his dead brother had left in it in the first
marriage. The second is the spirit of his dead brother himself, who was drawn to there, who
was bare, without sons. The third is the spirit that that redeemer has placed in there, the
marrying brother, who was mingled with them.
It is impossible to be in three spirits, so what should be done?
116) But so are the upper Gevurot that the Creator makes. The soul dresses in the spirit that
that redeemer has placed in there, in the place of the clothing from the souls of the foreigners.
And the spirit of the dead—who is bare, without sons, who returned there to be rebuilt—will
be clothing for the upper soul.
The spirit that was in the beginning—which remained in the Kli—the spirit that her dead
husband had left in her in the first marriage has fled from there and the Creator summons a
place within the window in the rock, past the shoulders of the Garden of Eden. That spirit is
hidden there and rises to the first body of the dead without sons that he had had before, and in
that spirit will the body rise for the revival of the dead. This is one that are two.
117) But until the body is revived, its punishment is heavy, for because he could not grow
with sons, it is lowered into the ground near the land of Arka. There are seven lands: Earth,
Ground, Valley, Oblivion, Aridity, Arka, Universe. He is sentenced there and then he is raised
to this universe in which we are. Now he descends back to the ground, and now he rises.
Thus, he rises and descends, and he has no rest except on Sabbaths, good days, and
beginnings of months.
118) These are the ones who sleep in a ground of dust. It is called Admat [ground] because it
is from Udma. It is called “dust” because it is from Universe. It is written about them, “Many
of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake,” some to eternal life, and some to
cursing and eternal disgrace. If the bare spirit is rewarded, the spirit of the dead without sons,
since he returned to this world as before in the son that was born from the marriage of the
brother, he merits being corrected. This is so because the spirit he had left in his wife in the
first marriage, and which hid in the rock, will be corrected in the first body that the dead left
without sons. It is written about those, “Some to eternal life, and some to cursing,” meaning
all those who were not rewarded with being corrected.
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119) These are the high Gevurot of the upper, holy King, that nothing was lost, and even the
fume of the mouth has its place and status, and the Creator does what He does with it. Even a
word of a person and even a voice are not in vain. There is room and status for everything.
120) The one who is built now—the dead without sons, who incarnated in the son that was
born from the marriage of the brother and came out to the world a new creation—has no mate.
For this reason, his mate is not declared prior to his birth because he lost his mate: the mate
that he had has become his mother, and his brother has become his father.
123) “Go forth, O daughters of Zion, and gaze on King Solomon with the crown with which
his mother has crowned him.” Who could gaze on King Solomon, the king that peace is his?
It is ZA. And yet, he is hidden from all the hosts of above, which are above in the place of
Bina, the place of which it is written, “Neither has the eye seen a God besides You.” Thus,
how does it write, “Go forth, O daughters of Zion, and gaze on King Solomon”? Also, there is
his honor. All the upper angels ask and say, “Where is the place of His honor,” the
concealment? And what is the merit of “Go forth ... and gaze”?
124) However, “Go forth, O daughters of Zion, and gaze on King Solomon,” is written “With
a crown,” and not “And with a crown,” for anyone who sees a crown, the Malchut, sees the
pleasantness of the King that peace is his. “With which his mother has crowned him” is
Malchut, which surrounds ZA. He calls her a daughter and calls her a sister and calls her a
mother. She is everything and everything is in her. One who gazes and knows in Malchut will
know the upper wisdom.
125) It is written, “In Your hand I commit my spirit, You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of
truth.” The Kli that was below—the woman who married the brother, who was previously the
wife of the dead without sons—was below him. How will it be made above that she will be
his mother? Her husband—the dead without sons—who was above her, how did he turn and
become lower, becoming her son? His mate has become his mother; his brother is his father.
If the father of the first, of his wife, would redeem him, meaning would marry his wife, all
would be well. But having his brother become his father? Is this not a wonder? Indeed, it is an
upside down world, the upper ones below and the lower ones above.
126) One who is in the place of the light cannot look and see in the dark. But the Creator is
not so. He knows what is in the dark even though the light is with Him. Out of the light, He
gazes into the darkness and knows all that is there.
127) Here we should first say one thing, which the first ones said about those visions of the
night. One who mounts his mother in a dream should expect Bina, as it is written, “For if you
call upon understanding [Bina]. “If,” because it is mother [“If” is spelled like “mother”],
hence he should expect Bina. This is fine but he should have written that one who saw his
mother in a dream will be rewarded with Bina. But why is it, “One who mounts his mother”?
128) It is because he turned over and rose from below upwards. First he was a son, below her.
When he rose upwards and mounted her, the tree overturned and he became from the upper
world, governing her and rewarded with Bina.
129) First, when Adam rose to thirteen years, it is written, “The Lord said unto me: ‘You are
My son, this day I have begotten you,’” meaning that he became a son to Malchut, and
Malchut is his mother, and then he is below her. Once he rose above her, becoming her
husband, he is from the upper world, ZA, since he rose to the degree of Joseph, Yesod de ZA,
rewarded with Bina like ZA, who has Mochin de Bina.
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130) So is this Kli, the dead man’s wife. First, he was her dead husband, in the degree of
Joseph, Yesod de ZA, the husband of the lower tree, Malchut, who obeys his will and whom
he governs. It is so because every female stands in the form of the Nukva, the lower tree,
Malchut. Since he did not wish to exist in the degree of Joseph and did not exist to copulate in
it, to multiply in the world and to produce offspring, and died without sons, he therefore went
down and incarnated in the son that was born from the marriage to the brother, while she, his
wife, became his mother. And the redeemer, the marrying brother, who previously was his
brother, inherited the inheritance of Joseph, while he went down and incarnated in the
newborn son.
131) When he went down, the verse, “You are My son, this day I have begotten you” came
true in him. He became her son and the tree that was below while he was governing her as a
husband over his wife has overturned. Once he went down, incarnating in the son that was
born from the marriage of the brother, who inherited the inheritance of the place of Joseph,
his marrying brother is called his father and everything is as correct and proper as it should
be.
132) First, he was from the male world, Joseph. But he was uprooted from there and now he
is from the female world, Malchut. He who was governing her is now governed by her, and he
is brought back to being in the female world. Hence, he has no mate at all, and he, the female,
is not declared, as every person is declared prior to being born, “The daughter of so and so to
so and so,” since he was brought back to the female world.
133) The first body that he had left, the dead without sons, if people in the world had known
and looked at the sorrow that he had while he was uprooted from the male world and was
brought back to the female world, they would know that there is no sorrow in the world such
as that sorrow. He has no mate because he does not stand in the place of the male. He, the
female, is not declared because he is from the female world. And if he has a mate, with
Rachamim [mercy], through prayer, he meets with a female who has not had a mate, as we
learn, “Perhaps another will greet him with mercy,” since the dead without sons is called
“other.” Thus, everything is properly corrected.
134) “But if a priest's daughter becomes a widow or divorced, and has no child and returns to
her father's house as in her youth.” The priest’s daughter is the soul. A widow is from the first
body, of the dead without sons. A divorced is one who does not come into the curtain of the
King. All those who do not stand in the male world have no share in it, he departed and
uprooted himself from the male world, he has no part of the King, ZA, and this is why she is
divorced and has no child. If she had a child, she would not be uprooted from the male world
and would not descend to the female world.
135) “And [she] returns to her father's house as in her youth.” Her father’s house is the female
world because that world is called “Her father’s house.” That Kli, his wife, which was
corrected to be used, has been turned over, he went down and that Kli went up. “As in her
youth” is while it is written, “This day I have begotten you,” when he becomes a son to the
female, Malchut. “Begotten you” means returning to the days of his youth, as he was from
thirteen years and on.
136) If she is rewarded with being corrected, when she returns to her father’s house, it is
written, “She shall eat of her father's bread,” meaning delight in the delight of the female
world, who eats from the bread of knights that comes down from above, from ZA. However,
she cannot look and enjoy what the rest of the righteous enjoy because she is a stranger there.
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It is written about her, “But no foreign man shall eat of the holy,” since holiness is in the male
world. However, she eats the contribution because she dwells in the female world.
137) Because she is from the female world, she eats it only at night, when there is domination
of the Nukva, Malchut, as it is written, “And when the sun sets, he will be pure, and afterward
he shall eat of the holies, for it is his bread.” Holy, which is from the male world, is eaten only
during the day, when it is the dominion of the male, ZA. This is why it is written, “Israel are
holiness to the Lord, the first of His harvest.” It is called “First” because the upper beginning
of the entire male world is holiness, upper AVI, Mochin de ZA, and what came up from the
holy is Israel, ZA. This is why “Israel are holiness to the Lord, the first of His harvest.”
138) When the spirits visit the cemetery, from the time it is dark until midnight, they do not
visit dead without sons because they are not rewarded with the world of holiness, as it is
written, “But no foreign man shall eat of the holy.” Their spirits have no abundance to give to
the body at the cemetery, and if that spirit is not rewarded with being properly corrected,
when it returns in an incarnation, even in the female world, it does not eat in the contribution
and is considered a foreigner even to the lower world, the female world, and does not eat in it.
139) When this redeemer, the marrying brother, comes and enters the Kli, he brings and
attaches his spirit to that Kli, and nothing is lost, not even the fume of the mouth.
140) The rest of the people in the world, who are rid of it, know that he left his spirit in the
wife that he had, and he brought a spirit there in the first marriage. What became of that
spirit? If that woman marries, what becomes of the spirit that her first husband had left in her?
After all, another man has mounted her.
141) A spirit cannot exist with a spirit, since the one who mounted her now has instilled a
spirit in her, and the first one, who departed, also instilled a spirit within her. The first one,
who departed, had sons, and the current one is not a redeemer. Hence, the spirit that the first
one left in that Kli, and this other one came and also brought a spirit into her. The two of them
certainly cannot be together in the woman’s body. It is impossible that it will be lost because
nothing is lost. Thus, what has become of it?
142) Also, if she does not marry, what becomes of the spirit that her husband had left in her?
After all, it is not lost. All of that should now be revealed.
143) “O Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor are my eyes lofty, nor do I walk in great matters
or in things too wondrous for me.” King David said that because he was a high king and ruled
over all the high kings and over the rulers from east to west, who feared his might. It did not
occur to him to stray from the path, and he always lowered his heart before his Master. When
he engaged in Torah, he would grow as strong as a lion and his eyes were always lowered to
the ground for fear of his Master. And when he walked among the people, there was no
crudeness of spirit in him at all.
144) It is written about it, “My heart is not haughty,” even though I am a king and rule over
all the kings in the world. “Nor are my eyes lofty” while I stand before You, engaging in
Torah. “Nor do I walk in great matters or in things too wondrous for me” while I walk among
the people. And if King David said so, it is all the more so for the rest of the people in the
world.
145) How beautiful are the tears on your beard, as the good oil that would come down on
good old Aaron’s beard was beautiful. The rest of the people who passed away from the
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world and left a spirit in the Kli that they were using, their wives, they married, and another
came and instilled another spirit in that Kli. What has become of the first spirit?
146) How high are the mighty deeds that the holy King performs, and who can count them?
When this second husband comes and instills a spirit in that Kli, in the woman, the first spirit,
of the first husband, slanders that spirit which entered and they do not settle together.
147) For this reason, a woman does not settle well with a second husband because the spirit of
the first pounds in her and then she always remembers him and cries over him or sighs over
him, for his spirit pounds in her guts like a serpent, slandering the other spirit that has entered
her from the second husband. Indeed, they slander one another for a long time.
148) And if the one who entered from the second husband passed on to that spirit that was the
first, from the first husband, the first one goes out and leaves. Sometimes, the first repels the
second and slanders it until it takes it out of the world. And from two onward, meaning after
both her husbands have died, a man should not take that woman because the angel of death
has grown strong in her. The people of the world do not know that the spirit of the first
husband, once it has prevailed and defeated that other, second spirit, repelling it from the
world, henceforth another man should not be involved with her.
149) Can it be that the second husband died without sentence, that he was not sentenced from
above, but that the spirit of the first husband repelled him? Indeed, all is with judgment, for it
is sentenced above that so and so will win, or that he will not slander so and so. And one who
takes a widow is as one who goes into the sea without ropes when strong winds are blowing,
and he does not know if he will get across in peace or drown in the deep.
150) If the one who has just entered, the second spirit, has prevailed and defeated the first
spirit, the first one leaves there and goes away. To which place does it go, and what becomes
of it? These questions are among the four hundred questions that they would ask about the
tower that flies in the air. Indeed, no man has answered them until King Solomon came and
clarified each and everyone of them as it should be.
152) Where did the spirit that came out go? A man is repelled from a man. They are repelled
in several hidden ways. The first spirit that was repelled by the other, where did it go? That
spirit walks out and roams the world. It is not known, and it goes to the grave of that man, and
from there it roams the world. It appears to people in a dream and they see the shape of that
man in a dream. He alerts them things in the way of that first spirit that was extended from it.
As it is in that world, so it roams and alerts in this world.
153) Thus it walks and roams the world, and always visits that grave until the spirits visit the
graves of the bodies. At that time, the spirit of the first husband himself comes to the grave to
visit its body. Then that spirit, which is only a part of the main spirit, joins its main spirit,
clothes in it and leaves. When the spirit enters into its place, it extends from it and has room
in these palaces in the Garden of Eden or outwards, according to the ways of each one, and
there it hides.
154) When the spirits visit this world, the dead that are with the living are only extending the
spirit that the husband leaves in his wife in the first marriage, and the other, main spirit
dresses in it. Hence, can it be of benefit to the spirit, and is this woman beneficial to all, since
through that spirit that her husband had left in her, the spirit comes to need life? However, had
she not married another, and had the first spirit not been repelled by the other man, the second
husband, he would have another benefit in a different way, and he would not exert in the
world as he does, nor would he need the life in this world as he is roaming here and there.
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155) Thus, was the second coupling of the woman not from above, repelling one man before
another man? Indeed, she is truly the mate of the second husband, and the first is not her
actual mate. Accordingly, she belongs to that second one, and when his time comes and he
takes her, the first one is repelled by him, since the first spirit that was in the woman is
repelled only because of the other, who is her mate. It follows that the second coupling is
from above.
156) And all those second husbands, who are repelled by the first husbands, the first were the
woman’s mates, and not they. This is why they have no existence with them and the second
spirit is rejected by the first spirit. For this reason, one who takes a widow is declared, and he
does not know that he is risking his life because it is not known whether or not she is truly his
mate.
157) When a widow does not marry even though her mate has come, yet she does not wish to
marry, the Creator does not force her in a sentence. Rather, the Creator provides another
woman for that man, and the widow does not fall into judgment in that world even though she
has no son, since a woman is not commanded to multiplication.
158) A woman who does not remarry, the spirit that her husband has left in her in the first
marriage sits in the woman for 12 months. Each night, it comes out, visits the soul, and
returns to its place. After 12 months, when her husband’s judgment has departed—since all
those 12 months the spirit is lowered in sadness all day long—after 12 months it comes out of
the woman and goes and stands at the gate of the Garden of Eden, visiting the Kli in this
world—the woman it has left—from which it came out. And when the woman departs from
the world, that spirit comes out and dresses in her spirit, and she is rewarded with it in her
husband, and both shine as they should, in a single bonding.
159) The hidden ways of the Master of the world, which people do not know, should be
revealed. And all walk by the path of truth, as it is written, “For the ways of the Lord are
right, the just walk in them and the wicked fail in them.” People neither know nor notice how
superior are the deeds of the Creator and how varied they are. And the people in the world do
not know, and all are on a path of truth, not straying to the right or to the left.
160) Those incarnated ones that were expelled by expulsion from that world and who have no
mate, who are those women, the mate, who mate with them in this world? After all, every
man has a mate, apart from those who are incarnated.
161) See now how great and important are His mighty deeds. One who divorces his first wife,
the altar sheds tears over him. All the women in the world stand in the form of that altar,
Malchut, for every woman has a root in Malchut. Hence, they inherit seven blessings, all of
which are from the Assembly of Israel, the Malchut. And if he divorces his first wife, the
stone of the upper altar, meaning the root of the woman in Malchut, returns to diminution and
lack because the divorced ones join together, for as she was divorced from her husband, she
was also divorced from her root in Malchut.
162) This is the meaning of what is written, “And writes her a bill of divorcement, and gives
it in her hand, and sends her out of his house.” “And leaves his house and goes and becomes
another’s.” When it is written, “Goes and becomes another’s,” who did not divorce her, why
does it write, “another”? Indeed, it is written, “another,” and he is called “another,” as it is
written, “They will spring out of another dust.”
Thus, the incarnated one is called “another,” and the divorced join together. The divorced man
in that world, the incarnated man who has no mate, who was expelled from that world to this
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world took the divorced woman in this world from her husband. And this woman, who was in
the upper form, in Malchut, has now been enslaved to the lower form, the incarnated one who
has no mate, who took her for a wife. His name is “another” because he clung to another God,
and this is why he was reincarnated into this world.
163) He is called “last,” as it is written, “And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.”
Thus, the incarnated one is called “last.” And here it is written, “And the last husband hates
her ... or if the last husband dies.” Why last? Should it not have written “second”? The text
does not come to forbid her from mating ten, one after the other. Will she be coupled with this
husband and not with another? Why should she be forbidden to another? Thus, why is he
called “last”?
164) Rather, he is “another,” of which we said “And he is another and he is last,” since now
the stone is rolling in the hollow of the sling. In relation to the first body that died, it is called
“the incarnated in the hollow of the sling,” who returned once more to the world, with the
name “another,” and “last.” And because he has no mate, he took the divorced one. This is
why the text calls him, “another,” “last.” Why is he called “another” in relation to the first
body that died? After all, the whole construction, the first body, fell into the dust once more
and it is as though it never was, and the incarnated one was what he was in the first body, and
not another. So why is he called “another”? Also, why is he called “last”? Is he the last? If he
straightens his ways and becomes corrected, very well, and he will be the last and no longer
incarnate. But if he does not, he will reincarnate and will be planted as before, so why is he
called “last”?
165) It is written, “And God saw all that He has done, and behold, it was very good.” “Good”
is the good angel. “Very” is the angel of death. The Creator provides His corrections to all
until even the angel of death returns to being very good.
166) “And a river comes out of Eden to water the garden” is ZA that waters the Malchut. This
river never rests from multiplying and from bearing fruits. Another God is sterile and has no
desire for the world or to multiply or bear fruit, for if it bore fruits, it would make the whole
world murky.
167) For this reason, the man who caused the evil side to multiply in the world never sees the
face of Divinity. That man, who incarnates in an incarnation, if he moved and clung to
another God, which does not bear fruit and does not multiply in the world, for this reason he
is called “another.” And the name of the Sitra Achra causes him, for even though he died, he
who incarnates is called “another,” like the Sitra Achra [other side].
168) He is called “last” because from the first one onward he is called “last.” He is second,
and in the Torah, he is immediately called “last.” The Creator, too, calls him “last,” so he
would be corrected in this incarnation, becoming the last one, and he will not incarnate again.
The third one is also called “last,” and so it is each time he incarnates. From the first one on,
he is called “last.” So he should be called “last,” for if he were to be immediately called
“second,” it allows for him to return once more and reincarnate as before, so that the current
building would be ruined.
169) This comes to us from the Second Temple, who was called “last.” It is written, “The
glory of this last house will be greater than the first,” because from the first onward it is called
“last” so as not to give excuse for that building to fall and be rebuilt as before.
170) Similarly, this one, who reincarnates, is called “last,” like the Second Temple. This is
why it is written, “Her former husband who sent her away will not be able to take her again.”
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Why does it say, “Will not be able”? Should it not have written, “Will not take her”? It is
because the woman clung to another and descended to be enslaved in a low degree of the
Sitra Achra. Hence the Creator does not want him, the first, to descend from his degree,
bearing fruits and clinging to a degree that is not his own.
171) If that woman does not marry, even if she fornicates with all the people in the world, if
her husband wishes, he can return to her. But if she clung to another by marriage, she will not
be able to return to the previous degree that she had had before. This is why it is written,
“Will not be able.” Indeed, he will never be able to return to that degree.
172) It is written, “After she has been defiled.” We learned that she has been defiled in his
heart. Thus, can it be that even if she drifts away and fornicates without marriage she will be
forbidden? However, since she clung to another, she took upon herself that evil side, and her
first husband, who is from the other, good side, the good will never have a part in her and will
never multiply that place. Thus, if the last man had sent her, or if the last man had died, she is
forbidden to the first. However, she is permitted to the rest of the people, perhaps she will find
a place as before, and the last one to mate with her will rise.
173) He who has sons from the first wife and lets this woman into his house, on that day he
clings to the harsh sword that turns every way. It is so for two reasons: 1) She has already
repelled two men outside, and now he is the third. 2) The Kli that partook in her is another.
How will he come to place his spirit in it, partaking with her, and clinging to her? It is not that
she is forbidden, but it is certainly bad partnership for him.
174) Rabbi Levitas would laugh and mock that woman when he saw who was mating with
her. He would say, “It is written, ‘She laughs at the last day,’” meaning he who clings to the
last man is laughter for later.
175) Now we should reconsider one, great and high place that was in the world, and a stem,
and a root of truth. It is, Oved, the father of Yishai and the father of David. It was said that the
incarnated one is the last, and Oved was an incarnation of Machlon, the dead without sons. So
how did a root of truth come out from this place?
176) However, Oved was corrected in the high correction, and the root of the tree that was
overturned, with his wife becoming his mother. Thus, he was restored and rose in it, and was
properly corrected. This is why he is called Oved, from the word Avdut [slavery], but the rest
of the people in the world were not rewarded.
177) Oved came, worked and hoed the core and the root of the tree, and came out of the bitter
face, and restored the foliage, Malchut. Yishai, his son, came and strengthened him, corrected
him, and clung to the trees of another, a high tree, ZA, connecting a tree to a tree, and they
became entangled in one another. When David came he found the trees, ZA and Malchut,
entangled in one another, and inherited the governance of the land. Indeed, Oved caused it.
179) This Oved was corrected and came out of the evil field of evil pits. Yishai, his son, came
and set up, and hoed the tree. For this reason, Oved set up the tree. When King David came,
he remained in the lower tree of the female, Malchut, and had to receive life from another, for
he had no life of his own. And if the one who was corrected and established everything was
so, then the rest of the people who incarnate are several times more incapable of being
corrected.
180) He turns to the incarnation on all sides. Paretz was an incarnation of Er; Boaz was an
incarnation of Yehuda; Oved was an incarnation of Machlon, and in all of them, the tree came
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out from the evil side and later clung to the good side. In the beginning, it writes, “And Er,
Yehuda's firstborn, was evil.” Machlon, too, was evil, but not as much. However, in them, the
evil was uprooted and the good came out afterwards. Here the bottom tree, Malchut, stood
corrected, and God was king over the nations.
181) In the beginning of everything, the degrees were rooted from the upper core and
foundation, Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehuda are HGT and Malchut. It is written about it,
“This time I will thank the Lord,” and it is written, “Then she stopped bearing.” It is as it is
written, “Shout for joy, O barren one, who have borne no child,” since when Yehuda was
born, the Nukva, Malchut, came out attached to the male, ZA. However, they were not as they
should be, face-to-face, and Malchut was unfit to bear. When the Creator cut her off,
separating her from the male’s posterior and establishing her, she became fit for impregnation
and bearing.
182) “Then she stopped bearing” is not written about Leah, Nukva de ZA above the Chazeh,
but about Rachel, who is weeping over her sons. She was rooted in Yehuda, Nukva below the
Chazeh, the letters Yod-Hey-Vav, Dalet-Hey, and “She stopped bearing” because she was still
not corrected.
183) In the beginning, the form above was everything. Even Rachel rose and was above the
Chazeh.
Reuven is the letters Ohr Ben [“light,” “son” respectively]. This is the meaning of what is
written, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’” which is right, Hesed de ZA.
Shimon is left, light with a waste of gold, since Shimon has the letters of Shem [name] Avon
[iniquity], left, Gevura de ZA.
Levi is the joining of the two sides, the middle line, Tifferet de ZA.
After HGT de ZA above the Chazeh came out, the Nukva, Rachel, came out, and Yehuda, the
Nukva, clung to the male, HGT de ZA. Yod-Hey-Vav is male, HGT, Dalet-Hey is the Nukva,
Rachel, who was with the male.
184) Why is the Nukva implied in the letters Dalet-Hey? Dalet is considered the Nukva during
the attachment of the evil with her, when he is only in the left, attached to the posterior of the
male. Dalet means that she is poor and must return in an incarnation—the incarnation from
Yehuda through King David, to uproot the evil and to decay in the dust, and later grow on the
good side through reconstruction of AVI, as it is written, “And the Lord God fashioned the
rib,” and to go from poverty to richness. Then she is considered the letter Hey. This is why
Yehuda is the letters Yod-Hey-Vav Dalet-Hey [the letters comprising the name Yehuda in
Hebrew], Yod-Hey-Vav are HGT of the male, and Dalet-Hey are the Nukva in her two states,
who conjoins with the male.
186) “You are Yehuda, your brothers shall thank you; your hand shall be on the neck of your
enemies.” When we say, “Blessed are You,” he is blessed when Yesod de ZA gives Hassadim
to Malchut. He is called “Blessed” and Malchut is called “You.” It is so because the name
“You” implies Hassadim. Jacob did not say “You” to all the sons, but to the place that was
needed. It is so because the Malchut extends from the left side, where Hochma shines without
Hassadim. It needs the name, “You,” Hassadim, to clothe Hochma in it, since without
Hassadim, Hochma does not shine and she is in dark. This is why he said to Yehuda, “You.”
187) “Your brothers shall thank you,” meaning everyone will certainly thank you for that
name. “Your brothers shall thank you”: For this name, the other side departed and
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surrendered. This is so because when the name Yehuda is mentioned, the Sitra Achra comes
out with her in the Dalet of Yehuda, implying to her first state, extending only from the left,
where the Sitra Achra nurses due to the lack of Hassadim on the right. When “You” is being
said, meaning extension of Hassadim from the right, she has governance and greatness, and
the Sitra Achra surrenders and is not seen there.
Certainly, with that name it is inscribed and becomes sorted out from the Sitra Achra because
when she clothes in Hassadim, the Sitra Achra departs from her. This is the ascension and the
governance of Malchut, and shattering and evil to the other side. Since your brothers will
thank you for the name “You,” your hand will be on the neck of your enemies, meaning the
Sitra Achra will promptly yield before you, and this name is the cause.
188) The name, “You,” is said to a different, high place, as it is written, “You are a priest
forever,” which is in the upper right, in Hochma.
189) For you are a priest. Here a cup of blessing is tied—Malchut, who is called “You”—to
the right—Hesed, who is called “priest”—without any separation. For this reason, “You are a
priest forever,” for here the cup, Malchut, is thoroughly tied. This is why it exists forever.
“The day of the snow” is the time when Malchut clings only to the left line, when she is filled
with Dinim, which are called “ice” and “snow.” This continues until the middle line, ZA,
comes and raises the Masach de Malchut to Bina, which is called sowing the beans. At that
time, the Hassadim appear and the illumination of Hochma on the left in the construction of
the Malchut dresses in those Hassadim. This is “You,” and then the Dinim of the snow depart,
and the Hochma illuminates in utter completeness. This is the implication of the text, “You
are a priest forever,” since once you, Malchut, are tied in Hassadim, the priest, by sowing the
beans of the middle line, it exists forever.
190) It is written about it, “You are Yehuda.” It is this “You” that your brother will thank you.
It does not write, “Yehuda, your brothers shall thank you.” Rather, it is for the name, “You,”
that his brothers will thank. “You,” Malchut’s place, needs that name since she is in Dinim, in
snow and ice from the left side. And not another, meaning that she does not need another
degree, for only the Malchut extends from the left and is built entirely from it, and none other.
191) Yehuda is the first father of Er and Onan, and the second father of Paretz and Zerach,
who are incarnations of Er and Onan. There was never any exchange in him, meaning that the
degree did not change to where the brother became the father, where the dead without sons
incarnates in the son that is born to the marrying brother, making his brother his father. This is
a descent of degree and a flaw.
In Yehuda, however, there was no interchanging and decline of degree, since he was also the
first father of Er and Onan, incarnated in Paretz and Zerach. For this reason, Paretz prevailed
in his might, as it is written, “What a breach you have made for yourself,” since there was no
decline of degree in him.
This was not so with all the people in the world who reincarnate. They do have a decline
where the brother becomes his father. Hence, David’s construction begins the count from
Paretz and not from Boaz, in whom there was a change, since he was not the first father of the
incarnated one, who was Machlon.
192) This is why Yehuda merited that name, “You.” It was first sorted and clarified in Er and
Onan, and the second time in Paretz and Zerach, and it never changed. Yehuda’s sons and
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descendants thank and say, “For you are our father,” since no decline occurred to them with
the brother becoming a father.
This is not so for the rest of the incarnated ones in the world. The rest of the incarnated ones
have two fathers and two mothers, a wheel for his structure, since in addition to his first
father, his brother also became his father. Thus, he has two fathers. And there are also two
mothers, for in addition to his first mother, his wife has become his mother.
193) It seems that there was a change in Boaz when he begot Oved because Oved is changed,
as he is his second father. However, it is not so. Ivtzan is Boaz. He is called Boaz because he
is the first father, who made no change, in whom Yehuda, the first father, incarnated. Can it
be that he was and is not an incarnation of Yehuda? However, it is certain that when he awoke
to the deed of marrying the brother’s widow, there was someone in him who is as fierce as a
lion and as a young lion, Yehuda. This is why he was called Boaz, from the words Bo [in him]
Az [one who is fierce], who is Yehuda.
This was so that there would be no change in David. And because Yehuda incarnated in him,
the matter returned to the first root, so that all would be from a single father and a single
dynasty. Thus, all is one and there was no change in the incarnation of David’s seed. This is
why “You” is without any change from beginning to end.
194) Happy is David, who was sorted so and rose above the rest of the roots of people on
earth.
195) It should have said, “All the people in the world will thank you.” Why does it say, “Your
brothers”? Indeed, usually people do not marry the brother’s widow to incarnate the dead
without sons, but only on the brothers’ side, and the brother arrives for the marriage of the
widow. Yet, you yourself came for the marrying of the brother’s widow, and here all your
brothers shall thank you that the dynasty of kingship did not hang down from them or from
one of them, but you alone. “You” means you have worked from beginning to end, and from
you did the whole dynasty and the race of the lion come out.
196) Your sons are the sons of a lion. They were not passed into change over your brothers,
nor were they exchanged with a lamb or an ox or a kid. It is so because there are twelve forms
in the twelve fortunes, opposite the twelve tribes, and the sons of Yehuda were all in the form
of a lion. However, a lion began to build, and a lion completed the construction. Your whole
dynasty are sons of lions, for if it came be incarnation in your sons from your brothers’ side,
all the forms would interchange and mingle in one another. For this reason, “Your brothers
shall thank you,” since there was not one of them incarnated in your sons’ dynasty. Raise your
hand, for there was no mingling of one of them within you.
197) “From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches, he lies down as a lion and as a
young lion. Who will rouse him up.” “From the prey, my son, you have gone up” means that
there was no prey and food for another on your table. “Crouches,” in Er’s bed, “Lies down” in
Onan’s bed, then prevailed as a lion, to raise up Paretz, “And as a young lion,” to raise up
Zerach. “Who will rouse him,” as it is written, “And he knew her again no more,” meaning
did not stop. This is the meaning of “Who will rouse him.”
Who is the one who said that this woman was forbidden, who is the one who will say that
since she completed her ways, she no longer needs you, that since this brother’s widow
completed her ways, she no longer needs you and it is best to retire from her. But who will
rouse him? Indeed, henceforth she is his because the one who rumbles her guts is the one who
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takes her out. The spirit of her first husband, which he had left in her in the first marriage, is
rumbling in her guts, and now she took him out.
198) Why does a brother’s man marry his widow? Also, why did Yehuda, who is his father,
marry his wife? Why not another man who was not a relative? Rather, the one who rumbles in
the guts of the widow, the spirit that her dead husband had left in her, sees that the one who
keeps him, the one who is close to him, slanders him from all sides. If it were a stranger, he
would repel him. But he did not wish to repel his relative, so he wished to get out of there.
When he comes out, he summons that other spirit, the dead man’s main one, and both come to
enter the guts of the woman as before, until he is built as before, incarnating in the drop of
semen of the marrying brother.
This was by the force of the strong slandering that he slandered his brother. This is why he
decided to exit her, and henceforth that woman was permitted to him, since the slandering
spirit has already departed her. This is why the relative must marry her, for the spirit would
reject a stranger, who is not a relative.
199) Happy is Yehuda. First he was a whelp, then a lion who grew and expanded in his power
like a lion, and he ended in a young lion. The rest of the people are not so, and this is why
Yehuda is “You.”
200) Reuven, Shimon, and Levi are HGT. Yehuda, Malchut, joined them. Issachar and
Zebulun are two thighs, NH, the place from which true prophets nurse. Issachar is the right
thigh, Netzah, as it is written, “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times,” where
Netzah extends the light of Bina to the Malchut, who is called “times.” It is also written,
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going forth,” where Hod is the end of HGT NH. It is the measure
of expansion of the light of Bina, and from him down it is regarded as departure from the
degrees.
In a great measure, there are seven Sefirot HGT NHYM, and then it is written, “Zebulun
dwells by the seas, and he shall be a shore for ships,” meaning up to Malchut, who is called
“sea,” and is called “a ship.” He dwells up to the Malchut because of the words, “And his
flank shall be upon Sidon,” meaning that the measure of his thigh, Hod, spreads through the
Malchut, who is called “Sidon.”
201) Benyamin, Yesod, remained above, between the thighs. And even though Joseph is
Yesod, the form of Joseph was in the land, Malchut, to use in this world, Malchut, and Moses
used him, as it is written, “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him.” Benyamin rose up
in Yesod de ZA, and Benyamin is the righteous of the world, Yesod.
202) There are two more joints from the knees and down: Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
On the left thigh, Dan is in the leg’s middle joint, and Naphtali is in the leg’s bottom joint.
This is the reason why Naphtali is a hind let loose, meaning nimble. On the right thigh, Gad is
in the middle joint, and he “Raids their heels,” down to the joint of the heel. The bottom joint
in the joint of the heel is as it is written, “And may he dip his foot in oil.”
It is also written, “Your locks will be iron and bronze,” so in the three joints of the right thigh,
Issachar is the upper joint, Gad is the middle one, and Asher is the bottom one. In the three
joints of the left thigh, Zebulun is the upper joint, Dan is the middle one, and Naphtali is the
bottom one.
All those twelve tribes are high forms in the form above. Because they were actual creations
in this world, Divinity was established in them in those twelve joints, twelve extensions that
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actually extended from Israel, ZA, as it is written, “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel.”
The extensions of Israel are called ELEH, to expand the name MI in them, so that the
structure will be as it should be, so that Israel will be included in the name Elokim: ELEH is
Israel in general, MI connects ELEH to it, and the construction is complete as it should be,
one name indeed.
It is known that during the Katnut, Malchut rises to the place of Bina in each degree. At that
time, each degree splits into two because Malchut that rose to the place of Bina ends the
degree, below Hochma, and only two Sefirot KH remain in each degree, while three Sefirot,
Bina and TM of each degree fall to the degree below it. The five Sefirot KHB TM are the five
letters of the name Elokim, where the two letters MI of Elokim, KH, remained in the degree,
and the three letters ELEH, Bina and TM, fell from each degree to the degree below it. Thus,
the two letters MI remained in Bina, and the three letters ELEH fell to the degree below it, to
ZON. Similarly, in ZON, two letters MI of their degree remained and three letters ELEH fell
to the degree below them, to the souls of the righteous.
At the time of Gadlut, Malchut comes down once more from Bina’s place to her own place,
and the Masach of Malchut that split each degree is cancelled. At that time, all the bottom
half-degrees that fell from their degree rise again, return to their degree, and the letters ELEH
of Bina that fell to ZON rise back up to Bina, joining as one with the two letters MI that
remained in it. Thus, the name Elokim is completed in five Kelim KHB TM, with five lights,
NRNHY.
And since these letters of Bina were in ZON, when they rise they also take the ZON that were
clothed there with them, and there ZON receive Mochin de Bina. Similarly, when ELEH of
ZON rise, having fallen among the souls of the righteous, and conjoin in the two letters MI of
ZON, completing the name Elokim in them, they also take with them the souls of the righteous
in which they were clothed, and the souls receive the Mochin de ZON there.
There are two constructions in it. The first construction is the return of ELEH to MI, by which
the name Elokim, Shuruk, is completed. The second construction is the ascent of the middle
line for MAN in the Masach in it, reducing the GAR de GAR and clothing the Hochma in
Hassadim, Hirik.
203) Esau’s appointee said to Jacob: “For you have striven with God,” above, meaning that he
rose with the letters ELEH de ZON and was included in the name Elokim, bonding and being
completed there in the first correction in the first construction, the construction of the point of
Shuruk.
204) Hence, there is no annihilation for Israel forever and ever. If they were to be annihilated,
this name, Elokim, would not be, because the three letters ELEH of Elokim are clothed in the
souls of Israel, as it is written, “And cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do
for Your great name?” This great name is the first construction, the first name, Elokim. It was
withdrawn from the letters ELEH, which are clothed in the souls of Israel, and now that Israel
are in exile, the whole building has seemingly fallen because the letters ELEH are absent in
the construction of the name.
In the future, when the Creator redeems His sons from exile, MI and ELEH, who were
separated in the exile, will join together and the name Elokim will be properly completed.
Then the world will be perfumed, as it is written, “Who are these who fly like a cloud and like
the doves to their lattices?”
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205) Because it is one name, it does not write, “Who [MI] and these [ELEH] will fly like a
cloud,” but rather, “Who are these,” one name without separation, the name Elokim. In the
exile, MI departed upward in Malchut, and the mother, Malchut, departed from the sons—
Israel—and the sons fell. Then the name Elokim, which was completed, the first great name,
fell because the letters ELEH—that are clothed in Israel—were withdrawn from it.
206) And we pray and sanctify with the name Elokim in synagogues, that it will be built as it
was. We say, “Let His great name grow and be sanctified. Amen, may His great name be
blessed.” Who is His great name? The first among all, the name Elokim that was completed in
the first construction. It is so because it has a construction only with us, since MI will never be
constructed if not in the letters ELEH, which are clothed in the souls of Israel. Hence, at that
time, “Who are these who fly like a cloud,” and the whole world will see that the upper name
is properly corrected.
207) And if His great name is corrected and properly structured, then Israel govern
everything, and all the other names are restored and corrected. Israel govern everything
because everyone depend on His great name, the first among all constructions, the name
Elokim, since through It, the illumination of Hochma appears, and the light of Hochma
subdues all the Klipot. This is why Israel rule over everything, and all the names receive
Hochma from it and are complemented by it, meaning after the second construction, since
while it is still in the first construction, it lacks Hassadim and cannot shine. But in the second
constructions it obtains Hassadim.
208) When the Creator, Bina, created the worlds, ZON, this name was the first to be built
among all the structures, the first among all the Behinot [discernments] GAR, as it is GAR de
Ruach. It is written about it, “Lift up you eyes on high and see who has created these,” created
His name Elokim as it should be. And when He created ELEH, He created it with all its due
powers, so that His name will be properly corrected, clothing it in Hassadim, as it is written,
“The One who leads forth their host by number.”
209) “The One who leads forth ... by number.” The Creator has a son who shines from the end
of the world to the end of the world. He is a great and strong tree—Yesod de ZA. His head
reaches the height of the sky, ZA, and at his end, his roots expand and take root in the holy
dust, Malchut, as it is written, “For everything that is in the heavens and the earth,” and his
name is “number.”
He hangs in the upper sky, ZA, and five firmaments are hanging in the sky, HGT NH, through
this number, which is the six firmament, Yesod. All of them, all the firmaments, get that
name, “number,” thanks to Yesod, as it is written, “The heavens tell.” Because of this number,
all the heaven, the five firmaments, gain that name thanks to it. For this reason, “The One
who leads forth their host by number.” Were it not for this number, there would not have been
hosts and offspring in the world because the Yesod begets offspring.
210) It is written about that, “Who has counted the dust of Jacob and numbered the stock of
Israel?” They are two who counted the flock and came with the number on their hands, since
the evil eye did not control them. “Who has counted the dust of Jacob” is one who counts.
“And numbered the stock of Israel” is another counter.
211) The evil eye does not control those two, since “Who has counted the dust of Jacob” are
the holy stones, strong stones from which water comes out to the world. It is written about it,
“Your seed will be as the dust of the earth.” “As the dust” means that the world is blessed by
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his merit. Thus, “And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,” truly as the
dust of the earth.
Stones are the degrees of Malchut, who is called “a stone.” When Malchut is dominated by
the left without the right, the stones become very hard, and then they are strong. They are
placed over the deep that due to the Dinim of the left, block the exit of the water, Hassadim.
For the world to be able to exist, they are punctured by the Masach de Tzimtzum Aleph
[Masach of the first restriction], and the water comes out through the holes, and by that the
world exists.
Under the domination of the Masach de Tzimtzum Aleph, Malchut is called “dust.” It is
written about it, “And your seed will be as the dust of the earth.” Hence, she is the first
counter of which it is written, “Who has counted the dust of Jacob?” The number, which is
the second counter, counts to lay down all those females, upper gems, the degrees of Bina, of
the bed on which Jacob lied, the Malchut. The number, Yesod, carries the Masach of
Tzimtzum Bet that raises Malchut to Bina, and because of that raising Bina becomes the
mother that lays over the sons. Also, Bina is called “the upper gem,” for by that Malchut is
mitigated, meaning the bed on which Israel lied.
212) From there on, after Yesod is established as a counter by the force of the Masach de
Tzimtzum Bet, it counts everything. It is so because the first counter was concealed because it
is the Yesod, good eyed, as it is written, “He counts the number of the stars.” Through him,
they are all counted. In the future, it is written, “The flocks will again pass under the hands of
the one who counts.” We do not know whether he is the first counter or the second one, but
because at that time all will be unified, without separation, all will be done by a single
counter, the first counter, for then the Masach de Tzimtzum Aleph will have been corrected
and the Masach de Tzimtzum Bet will have been cancelled. There will no longer be any Din in
Malchut compelling her to mitigate in Bina, hence only the first counter will be left. And it is
written about it, “Who has counted the dust of Jacob?”
213) “Who has counted the dust of Jacob and numbered the stock of Israel,” when the Creator
awakens to revive the dead, those who came in an incarnation—which are two bodies in one
spirit, the dead body and the incarnated body—have but one spirit. There are two fathers: the
father of the dead and the father of the incarnated body. There are also two mothers. How
many incarnations do they incarnate until they are corrected? “Who has counted the dust of
Jacob?” The first counter will correct everything, all the incarnated bodies, and nothing will
be lost and all will be revived.
214) “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awaken.” “The dust of the
ground” is when the friends looked at these letters that sail the air. They are Aleph-Ayin-Dalet
Peh-Mem-Tav-Reish, which means “Dust of the ground” [the letters comprising the words in
Hebrew]. “They sail the air” means that they have the level of Ruach by the force of the
Masach de Tzimtzum Aleph, and then they are called “dust.” And if through the Masach de
Tzimtzum Bet, then they are called “ground,” since Bina is called Adom [red], and Malchut
that is mitigated in her is called Admat [ground of].
215) “And I praise the dead who are already dead,” who are the letters of “Dust of the
ground.” Both the dead from the discernment of dust, and the dead from the discernment of
“Ground.” A voice has awakened and alerts so in the second building—the incarnated body. It
is the one that corrects both the dead body—from the discernment of dust—and the body
itself—which is considered ground. It is the one that says, “And I praise the dead,” meaning
correct them.
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Dust is the first dust, the dead body. The ground is the second one, which was corrected. It is
the incarnated body.
The core of the first is waste for it, since the body of the dead without sons, which is the core,
is waste in the incarnated body, which is the one that corrects it. This is why it is written,
“And I praise the dead,” meaning correct them.
216) “Those who sleep in the dust of the ground will all awaken.” Those who have been
corrected will be for life in the lower world, Malchut, since they were not rewarded with
being in the upper world, but descended to the world of Nukva. And those who were not
rewarded with being corrected will be to cursing and eternal disgrace because the other side
will pass away from the world, and the Creator will leave those who were from the springing
of that side to astound with them all the people in the world, as it is written, “To cursing and
eternal disgrace.”
217) All this caused Adam to not want to multiply in the world, and he did not wish to keep
the holy covenant.
218) “If you buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve, and in the seventh he shall go out
free.” Every male stands in the form of the male world, ZA, and every female stands in the
form of the female world, Malchut. While he is still a servant of the Creator, he clings to the
first six years, HGT NHY de ZA, and if he uproots himself from His work, the Creator uproots
him from those six years of the male world, HGT NHY de ZA, and he is given to man, who is
from VAK, HGT NHY, serving him for six years, and he is uprooted from the six years of
above, of ZA.
219) Afterwards he comes down from there and is given into the female world. He did not
wish to stand in the male; he descends and stands in the Nukva, Malchut. Nukva, the seventh
Sefira, comes and takes him. It is written about him, “And in the seventh he shall go out free
for nothing.” Henceforth, he is from the female world.
220) If he does not wish to stand in her and in her redemption, as it is written, “I love my
master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” he comes down and clings below,
clinging to the other side. Henceforth, he is uprooted from the male world and from the
female world, for he has united with the servants from the other side.
221) Since he has clung to the Sitra Achra, he needs a flaw, and to make a Reshimo of a flaw
in him, as it is written, “And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl,” for any flaw
is from the other side. And then, “And he shall serve him forever,” until the Yovel [50 year
anniversary], which is called “world” [also “forever” in Hebrew]. From the Yovel onward, he
reincarnates and returns to the world as before, clinging to the female world and nothing
more. If he is rewarded, he produces offspring in the female world, Malchut, and he is pure,
when he is corrected and rewarded with it.
222) If he is not rewarded even in the incarnation of the Yovel, he is as though he never was,
for he returned in an incarnation but did not complete his days to be married in the world and
to produce offspring. It is written, “If he comes alone, he shall go out alone.” If he enters that
world alone, without offspring, and did not wish to exert in it, and came out of this world
alone, without a seed, he goes as a stone in the hollow of a sling up to that place of the strong
rock, which is passed the shoulders of the Garden of Eden. He enters there and promptly, the
solitary wind blows, which left the Nukva and comes there. This is the spirit that has remained
in the female from her first husband.
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He goes alone, as a serpent that does not connect to another on the way, for he is separated by
the two spirits in the woman, and he walks alone. He blows in that wind [also spirit] of the
dead without sons who has now come there, repelling him from there so he will come to
reincarnate and be corrected.
223) Promptly he leaves the place of the strong rock alone, without a female, and walks and
roams the world until he finds a redeemer to bring him back to this world to be corrected.
This is the meaning of “If he comes alone, he shall go out alone,” without a Nukva. It is
because he did not wish to marry a woman so as to have offspring. And since he has no mate,
he must marry a divorced woman.
224) But if he has a woman whom he married and tried with, but could not bear sons, he is
not expelled like the other one. He neither comes alone nor goes out alone.” Rather, if he is a
husband to a wife, the Creator does not deny the reward of any creation, and even though he
was not rewarded with sons, it is written, “His wife shall go out with him.” Then both are
incarnated and are rewarded with joining together as before.
He does not take a divorced wife, like the other one, who has no mate. Rather, he takes the
same woman with whom he tried before but they were not rewarded with sons. Now, if they
correct their deeds, they will be rewarded together. This is the meaning of what is written,
“His wife shall go out with him.”
225) “If his master gives him a wife”—the text returns to that one who goes out alone,
without a Nukva—the place of the seventh, Malchut, will redeem him. The seventh is called
“His master,” Master of the whole earth. If this master of his has mercy on him and brings
him back to the world as he was, giving him that wife, for which the altar sheds tears—
meaning a divorced wife—and they join together and she gives births to sons or daughters for
him, the woman and her children will be to her master, to the holy Malchut.
226) It is so because if he repents and corrected that place which he flawed in his life, he is
accepted before the holy King, and then He takes him and fully corrects him. This is called
“One who has repented,” since he inherited the seat of that place—the river that stretches out,
the Malchut, since the river that stretches out is Yesod, and its residence is the Malchut. Thus,
he corrects himself in relation to how he was before. Since he has been corrected and
repented, he rises over his correction, for there is nothing in the world, nor a key in the world
that he who has repented will not break.
227) “He will go out alone” means praise and elation. The place to which those who repent
rise, even complete righteous cannot stand there. For this reason, because he has repented, the
Creator immediately accepts him.
228) There is nothing in the world that can resist repentance, and the Creator certainly accepts
all of them. If he repents, the path of life is ready for him. And even though he flawed what he
flawed, all is corrected and everything is restored. It is so because that in which there is an
oath, the Creator accepts him, as it is written, “‘As I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘Even though
Coniah the son of Jehoiakim.’”
It is also written, “'Write this man down childless.” But once he has repented, it is written,
“sons of Jeconiah, the prisoner, were Shealtiel his son.” Thus, repentance breaks several
sentences and judgments, and several iron chains, and there is no one who can resist
repentance.
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229) It is written about that, “And they shall go out and see the carcasses of the men who
transgress against Me.” It does not say, “Who have transgressed against Me,” but “Who
transgress against Me,” meaning those who did not wish to repent and regret what they had
done. But if they regretted and repented, the Creator accepts them.
230) For this reason, even when there is transgression in a person and he flaws what he should
not, but he repents, He accepts him and has mercy on him, since the Creator is full of mercy
and is filled with mercy for all His works, as it is written, “His mercies are over all His
works.” His mercies reaches even beasts and fowls. And if His mercy reach them, it is all the
more so with people, who know and are known for praising their Master. His mercies reach
them and remain over them. David said about that, “Great are Your mercies, O Lord; revive
me according to Your ordinances.”
231) If His mercies reach the wicked, it is even more so with righteous. After all, who needs
healing? Those who are in pain. And who are those in pain? They are the wicked. They are
the ones who need healing and mercy, and the Creator is merciful toward them, so they will
not be left away from Him. He does not depart from them and they shall return before Him in
repentance.
When the Creator brings closer, He brings closer with the right. And when He repels, He
repels with the left. When He repels, the right brings closer. He repels from one side and
brings closer from the other. Thus, the Creator does not leave out His mercy from them.
232) “And he went in mischief in the way of his heart.” Afterwards, it is written, “I have seen
his ways and I will heal him, and I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his
mourners.” Even though the wicked work maliciously, follow their hearts, and others warn
them but they do not wish to listen to them, still, when they repent and take the good path of
repentance, healing is provided for them.
233) Is the text speaking of the living or of the dead, since the beginning of the text is not its
end and its end not as its beginning? In the beginning of the text, it points to the living, “And
he went in mischief.” Its end indicates the dead when it says, “I will lead him and restore
comfort to him and to his mourners.” Rather, it speaks of while a person is alive, and so it is.
“And he went in mischief in the way of his heart,” since the evil inclination in him is strong
and prevails in him, hence he goes in mischief and does not wish to repent.
234) The Creator sees his ways, that he is marching futilely in evil. The Creator says, “I must
hold him by his hand.” “I have seen his ways,” that he is walking in the dark, I wish to give
him a cure, “And I will heal him.” The Creator brings into his heart the path of repentance and
the healing for his soul. “I will lead him,” as it is written, “Go now, lead the people.” The
Creator leads him in the upright path, as one who holds the hand of another and leads him out
of the darkness.
235) “And [I will] restore comfort to him and to his mourners.” Thus, it seems that he is dead.
He is dead indeed, and he is standing alive, for because he is wicked, he is called “dead.”
What is “And [I will] restore comfort to him and to his mourners”? The Creator performs
gracefully with people, for because he entered the 13th year and on, He places two angels with
him, to guard him on his right and on his left.
236) When a person walks on the upright path they rejoice in him and strengthen him with
joy, declaring before him, “Give honor to the form of the King!” And when he marches on a
twisted path, they mourn him and move away from him. When the Creator held him and led
him by the upright path, it was written, “And [I will] restore comfort to him and to his
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mourners.” First, “I will restore comfort to him,” for regretting what he has done before and
for what he has done now, and he repents. Afterwards, “To his mourners,” who are the angels,
who mourned him when they moved away from him. But now that they have returned to him,
there is regret on all sides, regret for his deeds and regret for his woes and mourning.
237) And now he is certainly alive, alive on all sides, gripping to the tree of life. This is why
he is regarded as one who has repented, since the Assembly of Israel, Malchut, is also
considered repentance.
Repentance has the letters of Tashuv [shall return] Vav toward Hey. Vav is the tree of life, ZA,
and Hey is Malchut. This is why Malchut is called “repentance,” and he is considered one
who has repented, Malchut’s husband, who bestows upon her. Hence, even complete
righteous cannot stand in a place where they who repent stand.
238) King David said, “Against You alone have I sinned and done what is evil in Your eyes.”
There are sins that a person does to the Creator and to people, and there are sins that a person
sins to people and not to the Creator. There are also sins that he sins to the Creator alone, and
not to people. King David sinned only to the Creator, and not to people. This is why he said,
“Against You alone have I sinned.”
239) But he had sinned that sin of Bat Sheba. And one who comes over nakedness is
forbidden to her husband. Hence, did he not sin against his friend, as well as against the
Creator? However, that sin was by permission. David took what was his, since she had a
divorce from her husband before he went to war, for so was the custom of the whole of Israel:
Anyone who went to the army would give a temporary divorce to his wife, and so did Uriah
with Bat Sheba. Once the time had passed and she became permitted to all, David took her
and did all that he did with permission.
240) If it were forbidden, the Creator would not leave her with him, for it is written as a
testimony, “And David comforted Bath-Sheba his wife,” which is a testimony that she was his
wife. Of course she was his wife and mate, that she has been prepared for him since the day
the world was created. And this is a testimony that David did not sin the sin of Bat Sheba.
241) And what is the sin that he had sinned only against the Creator and against no one else?
It is that he killed Uriah by the sword of the children of Ammon, and did not kill him when he
told him, “And my lord Yoav,” for he was his master. The text proves, as it is written, “These
are the names of the mighty men whom David had,” and not “Whom Yoav had.” It follows
that he was rebelling against the kingdom, and one who rebels against the kingdom must be
put to death. Yet, he did not kill him at that time, but killed him by the sword of the children
of Ammon.
242) And nothing was found with him, as it is written, “Save in the matter of Uriah the
Hittite.” “Save” comes to diminish. He sinned “In the matter of Uriah,” and not in Uriah
himself. And the Creator said, “And [you] have killed him with the sword of the children of
Ammon.” Each sword of the children of Ammon was engraved with a twisting snake, the
shape of a dragon, which is their idolatry. The Creator said, “You have given strength to that
abomination,” since when the children of Ammon killed Uriah, and many of the children of
Israel along with him, at that time the sword of the children of Ammon grew stronger, and so
did the strength of that idolatry increase, the abomination.
243) Can it be that Uriah was not righteous because it is written about him, “Uriah the
Hittite”? Rather, he was righteous, but the name of his place was Hittite, as it is written, “And
Yiftach the Gileadite.” He was called so after his place, and so was Uriah the Hittite.
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244) This is why it is written, “In the matter of Uriah the Hittite” and not in Uriah himself,
since he already had to be put to death for his rebellion against the kingdom. David caused the
abomination of the children of Ammon to prevail over God’s camp of the camp of David,
which was actually in the shape of above, of the armies of the upper Malchut. When David
flawed this camp of his, he flawed another camp above. This is why David said, “Against
You alone have I sinned,” alone, and that sin which he sinned against Him was not against
any other.
This is why it is written, “In the matter of Uriah,” and this is why it is written, “By the sword
of the children of Ammon.” Thus, the sin was not in Uriah himself, but in the matter of Uriah,
in having given strength to the sword of the children of Ammon.
245) It is written, “For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth.” These are the
females. It is also written, “The eyes of the Lord are roaming throughout the earth.” These are
the males. It is so because there are discernments of male and female in them. David said,
“And [I have] done what is evil in Your eyes.” Should he not have said, “Before Your eyes”?
But David said, “In the place where I sinned, it was in Your eyes, for I knew that Your eyes
were readily standing before me, yet I did not consider them. Thus, the sin that I have sinned
was in Your eyes.”
246) “So that You are justified when You speak,” and he will have no excuse for saying
before You, “Test me, O Lord, and try me.” Any craftsman who speaks, speaks with his
craftsmanship. David was the King’s joker. Even though he was in grief, since he was before
the King, he returned to his joking as he was, to please the King.
247) He said, “Master of the world, I said, ‘Test me, O Lord, and try me,’ and You said that I
would not be able to withstand Your test. But I have sinned so You would be right in Your
words and that Your words be true. Had I not sinned, my words would have been true, and
Your words would have been vain. Now that I have sinned so that Your words would be true,
I have made it possible to justify Your words. This is why I did, “So that You are justified
when You speak,” since David returned to his craft, and said words of drollery to the King
while he was in grief.
248) We learned that David was not worthy of that act because he said, “My heart is a void
within me.” So it is, but David said that there are two palaces in the heart—blood in one, and
spirit in the other. The one that is filled with blood is the dwelling place of the evil inclination,
and my heart is not so because it is empty, and I did not give dwelling to the evil blood, to
place the evil inclination in it. And my heart is certainly a void, without an evil dweller.
And because this was so, David was not worthy of the sin that he had sinned. Rather, it is to
allow the wicked to say that King David sinned and repented, and the Creator forgave him, it
is all the more so for the rest of the people. David said about that, “I will teach transgressors
Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You.”
249) David rose up the olive ascent, rising and crying. His head was low and he was walking
barefoot. Why? He made himself rebuked so as to receive a punishment, and the people were
a little far from him. Happy is the slave who serves his master so, and who is known in his sin
in order to repent from it in complete repentance.
250) What Shimei, the son of Gera, did to him was more than all the troubles he had been
through up to that day. But David did not respond at all against him for it suited him, and by
that they were atoned for.
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251) Shimei was a wise disciple and there was much wisdom in him. Why did he go out to
David and do to him what he did? Rather, the matter was from another place, and placed that
matter in his heart. He did all that to David’s benefit, since what Shimei did to him caused
him to repent in complete repentance and broke his heart with a great shattering, and he shed
many tears from his heart before the Creator. This is why he said that the Creator told him,
“Curse.” He knew that the matter had come down from another, high place.
252) Two commandments did David command his son, Solomon. One was Yoav’s and the
other was Shimei’s, along with the rest of the commandments he had commanded him.
Yoav’s is as it is written, “And you also know what Yoav the son of Zeruiah did to me.” That
was a secret matter, which even Solomon did not know. But because others knew, Solomon
found out. This is why he said, “You also know,” what he was not meant to know.
253) Shimei’s is as it is written, “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera.” Behold,
there is with you” means that he is always available for you, since he was his teacher, and this
is why he did not say of Yoav, “Behold, there is with you Yoav.” But with Shimei, who is
always with him, he said, “Behold, there is with you.”
254) “And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him: ‘Build you a house in
Jerusalem.’” Where is King Solomon’s wisdom in that? However, he did everything with
wisdom, and watched over all the sides, because Shimei was wise, and Solomon said, “I want
the Torah to multiply in the land through Shimei, that he will not go out.”
255) Solomon looked with wisdom, as it is written, “He came out, and kept on cursing as he
came.” “He came out” twice, once when he came out of the seminary to curse David, and one
exit when he went out of Jerusalem toward his servants, over whom he died. One exit was
toward the king, and one exit toward his servants. Solomon saw all that and looked at the
second exit with the holy spirit. This is why he said, “And it shall come to pass on the day of
your exit,” he knew that in the exit he would die.
256) “And dusted in the dust.” Solomon said, “He was in the dust with my father, he will be
in the water with Shimei.” Solomon sentenced both, to be sentenced to dust and to water as
one who has strayed, who has slandered the way with his father.
257) It is written, “He cursed me with a grievous curse.” It is also written, “And I swore to
him by the Lord saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’” What is “With the
sword”? Was Shimei a fool who did not understand that if he had sworn to him in this way, he
would not say later on, “Not with a sword, but with a spear or an arrow”?
258) There are two matters here: 1) The child, the son of the great fish whose scales rise to the
top of the clouds, said King David’s oath. When he wished to swear, he took out his sword,
where the engraved name was carved, and there he swore. And so he did to Shimei, as it is
written, “And I swore to him by the Lord saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’”
This oath was with the sword. 2) Solomon judged and said, “He came to father with a curse,”
which is the words, “Then I too had words for him,” and he killed him with the explicit name
and not with the sword. This is why Solomon did so.
259) Since David swore to him, why did he kill him? Was this oath a lie, since the mouth and
the heart were not the same? Of course, David did not kill him. It is known that all the organs
of the body receive everything, and the heart does not receive even as much as a hair’s
breadth. King David was the heart of Israel, and he received what he was not meant to
receive, what Shimei stoned in stones and dusted in dust. This is why it is written, “And you
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will know what to do to him.” And also, the tree, Malchut, caused him to be as vengeful as a
serpent.
260) It is written, “For You do not delight in sacrifice; otherwise I would give it. You have no
wish for burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.” “For You do not delight in
sacrifice.” Does the Creator not wish for sacrifices to be offered before Him? But he
established it that wicked would sacrifice an offering and their iniquities would be atoned. But
David said that before the name Elokim, Midat ha Din [quality of judgment], and they do not
sacrifice to the name Elokim but to the name Yod-He-Vav-He, since El [God] is harsh Din,
Midat ha Din, and they do not offer a sacrifice.
It is written, “Should any man of you offer a sacrifice before the Lord.” To the Lord
[HaVaYaH], and not to the name Elokim [God]. It is also written, “When you bring a mealoffering unto the Lord,” “A sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord,” “A sacrifice of peaceofferings unto the Lord,” and it does not write the name Elokim.
261) Since King David spoke to the name Elokim, it should be written, “For You do not
delight in sacrifice; otherwise I would give it. You have no wish for burnt offering,” as this is
why we sacrifice only a broken spirit, as it is written, “The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit.”
The sacrifice of Elokim is sadness and shattering of the heart. For this reason, one who dreamt
a bad dream should show sadness because he is standing under the quality of Elokim, and the
offering of Midat ha Din should be sadness and a broken spirit. That sadness is good for the
bad dream and the Din does not govern it because he sacrificed before it an offering that is fit
for Midat ha Din.
262) “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” “You will not despise”
means that there is a heart which He despises? Yes, a proud heart, a heart in crudeness of
spirit is the heart that He despises. But “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not
despise.”
263) “By Your favor do good to Zion.” What is “Do good,” because it seems that there is
good in it, so why the need to pray, “Do good” for that good one? There is a need to pray,
“Do good,” since from the day the Creator has exerted in the construction of the Temple
above until now, there was no bettering of the desire on that building. Hence, it did not
improve, since when the desire of above awakens, it will improve and light up the lights of
the construction and the work until even the angels above will not be able to look at the
Temple or at the building. At that time, the Temple and all its work will be perfected, and it is
for this that he prayed, “By Your favor do good to Zion.”
264) “Build the walls of Jerusalem.” Did He not build them since the day He exerted in the
construction of the Temple? And if He has not built the walls of Jerusalem thus far, He
certainly did not build the Temple. Thus, how did it say, “By Your favor do good to Zion,”
which is the Temple? After all, first you build the walls and then the Temple.
However, all of the Creator’s works are not as people’s works. When people build the Temple
below, first they make the walls of the city and then the Temple. First, the walls of the city, to
protect them, and then the construction of the house. The Creator builds the Temple first, and
finally, when He lowers it from the sky and places it in its place, it will build the walls of
Jerusalem. This is why David said, “By Your favor do good to Zion” first, and then, “Build
the walls of Jerusalem.”
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265) In all the deeds that the Creator does, first He does that which is on the outside, and then
He makes the brain within. Is it not the same here, since He put the building of the Temple
prior to building the walls, which are on the outside? All those deeds that the Creator does,
beginning with what is on the outside, in the thought, He begins with the brain, inside, while
in the act He begins with what is on the outside. It is so because every Klipa [shell], which is
on the outside, is from the other side, and the brain extends from the brain, from the side of
Kedusha [holiness]. Hence, He always begins with the other side, which increases and grows,
and guards the fruit. And when the fruit has ripened, the Klipa is thrown outside. “The wicked
shall prepare it, but the righteous shall wear it.” Thus, the Klipa is thrown and we bless the
Righteous one of the world.
266) However, the construction of the Temple is for the future, when the other side has passed
away from the world, and there is no need to begin with what is on the outside, since the brain
and the Klipa are both His. Hence, He begins with the brain, as it is written in the beginning,
“By Your favor do good to Zion,” and subsequently, “Build the walls of Jerusalem,” since the
outside wall, the Klipa, is actually His, as it is written, “‘For I,’ declares the Lord, ‘will be a
wall of fire around her,’” I and not the evil side.
267) Israel are the upper brain of the world; Israel was contemplated first. It is so because in
thought, internality comes before the Klipa. The idol worshipping nations, Israel’s Klipa,
came first in action, since in action, the Klipa comes before the fruit, as it is written, “These
are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before there reigned any king over the children
of Israel.” The Creator will begin with the brain without the Klipa, as it is written, “Israel are
holiness to the Lord, the first of His harvest,” meaning that the brain precedes the Klipa. And
even though the brain rises without a Klipa, who can reach out his hand and eat from it, as it
is written, “‘All who ate of it became guilty; evil came upon them,’ declares the Lord.”
268) At that time, it is written, “Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,” for then
everything will conjoin in one bonding, and the name will be fully completed. At that time,
the offering will be whole for the Lord God [HaVaYaH Elokim], since now Elokim does not
bond to the sacrifice. Had He bonded with it, several other gods would raise ears to bond
there and would nurse from the Kedusha. But at that time, it is written, “For You are great and
do wondrous deeds; You alone are God,” and there is no other God.
269) At that time, it is written, “See now that I, I am He, and there is no God with Me.” Why
does it say, “Now”? Indeed, it was not so before, and it will be at that time. The Creator said,
“See now” what you could not see before.
270) “That I, I am He.” Why twice? It is to make the precision that there is no God there but
He, since there are several times where it writes “I” once, and it was the name of the other
side. But now, I, I am He and there is no God with Me,” since the whole of the other side has
passed away.
271) “It is I who put to death and give life.” Thus far, death has been done through the other
side. Henceforth, “It is I who put to death and give life.” At the time of the revival of the
dead, all those who did not taste the taste of death from the Creator will have the death, and
He will promptly revive them. Why is death done by the Creator? It is so that nothing of the
filth will be left in the world, and there will be a new world, the work of the Creator.
272) “And if he shall plainly say ... ‘I will not go out free, then’” he blemishes him with a
blemish: “And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl.” “If he comes alone.” Alone
is good, but we learn that the whole world stands on a single fin of a whale.
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273) When the whale is male and female, where they went, the world would shake. And if the
Creator had not emasculated the male and cooled down the female, they would make the
world turbid. Hence, he does not bear offspring. This is the meaning of “If he comes alone,”
meaning if he comes under that limb of the whale, which does not produce offspring. And
because of it, he shall go out alone, he is repelled there and does not come into the King’s
presence whatsoever. Then he is repelled and departs that world. “He will go out alone,”
indeed alone he will go out.
274) It is written, “They will die childless.” “Childless” includes a male and a female. The
male comes, the female goes out, coming by this and going out by that. This is the place to
which he clung in that world, Malchut, since the Creator does not wish that one who
emasculated himself in this world will come before Him.
275) They would not sacrifice before Him one who is emasculated, and took him out so he
would not be offered to Him. He commanded and said, “Nor shall you do in your land.” Also,
for all generations, it is forbidden to emasculate the creations that the Creator created in this
world, for castration is from the other side.
276) And if he tried and married a woman but did not bear offspring and did not want,
although he has a wife, or if she does not want and he came into that world without sons, it is
written, “If he is a husband to a wife but they did not notice the work of the Creator to bear
sons, his wife shall go out with him. He came in the limb of the male and she in the limb of
the female, Malchut. And each will come alone and will go out alone.
277) “If his master gives him a wife.” “If his master” is the Master of the whole earth,
Malchut. “Gives him a wife,” for it is not in one’s possession to marry a woman, but all must
be weighed on the scales, and he merits according to the weight of the merits. Hence, “[He]
gives him a wife,” for it is not within his possession. And who is she? She is not his, meaning
she is not his mate and has not been prepared for him. She is a woman who has been prepared
for another, and he came with mercy and married her. The one who was given to him was not
meant for him.
278) And the Creator sees from afar, and sees that that woman is ready to bear offspring in
the world. After He brought this one earlier with mercy, she was given to him and he bore
fruit and sowed a seed in a woman that is not his own. For this reason, the woman and her
children will be to her master, and he will go out alone. What a miserable poor man. He tried
so hard in vain, toiled and exerted to bear fruit in a garden that was not his own, and he went
out alone.
279) He said to himself, “Old man, old man. At such times you would not push away the gate
with your feet, as one who lies on the ground powerless,” for he was weakened, and in his
weakness, he cannot open the gate and pushes it with his feet. “Brace yourself, old man, and
fear not.” This is the poor man who tried in vain. Why? If it is because he sowed in another
garden that is not his own, very well. But here the Creator gave him that garden to sow in, and
he did not take her by himself.
280) The Creator does everything justly, and nothing is in vain. The Creator giving a woman
and bearing fruit and offspring in her is not as the other ones who incarnate. One who toils in
this world to multiply a tree but fails is not like one who did not wish to toil and multiply, and
uprooted and dropped leaves from the tree, diminishing its fruits.
281) One whose master gives him a wife to bear fruit, who first tried to multiply the tree but
could not, his merits are not so great, for if he were properly worthy he would not reincarnate,
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for it is written, “And I will give in My house and within My walls a hand and a name better
than sons and daughters.” And now that he has not been rewarded, the Creator sees that he
tried to bear sons but could not, this is the meaning of “His master gives him a wife.”
And since the Creator had mercy on him and gave him a wife with mercy, the Creator takes
what is His to begin with, and takes what He had subtracted from that fountain before. For
this reason, “The wife and her children shall belong to her master,” and then he will once
again exert for himself, to complement his deficiency.
282) He said to himself, “Old man, old man. You said about it that he had tried in vain to bear
sons, and you did not watch over yourself, that you were walking empty, in what you said,
since the text is chasing you. This ruins the whole construction that you have built thus far,
and you think that you are roaming freely in the sea.” And what is the verse that says, “And if
the servant shall plainly say: ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out
free’”? Thus he is rewarded with them once more, and he has not exerted in vain.
283) “What an old man, old and powerless. What shall you do? You thought that there would
be no one to chase you, but this verse is chasing you, appearing from behind the wall as a
hind in the field.” In other words, he did not remember it before, and suddenly remembered it.
“It is as though it is leaping after you, thirteen leaps it has leaped behind you and caught up
with you.” These are thirteen leaps that are the thirteen words in the text, “And if he shall
plainly say,” until the word “Free,” and not forever. “What shall you do old man? Now you
must overcome with your strength, for you have been mighty strong thus far. Old man, old
man. Remember the day of the snow when we were sowing beans and several mighty men
were against you, and you alone defeated thirteen mighty powerful men, each of whom has
killed a lion before he ate.”
Sowing beans on the day of the snow is the ascent of Malchut to Bina, for which Bina and TM
fell from all the degrees, beginning with Bina that came out of Rosh de AA, through the end of
the degrees. “On the day of the snow” means Mochin of the left, which come with the point of
Shuruk. It is known that through the ascent of Malchut to Bina at the point of Holam, the ten
Sefirot divided into thirteen Sefirot because they became two times HGT. This is why he said,
“The day of the snow, when we were sowing beans,” meaning raising MAN for the ascent of
Malchut in Bina to cancel the Dinim of the snow.
“And several mighty men were against you” is the division of the Sefirot to thirteen, “Each of
whom has killed a lion before he ate,” since due to the Dinim of the day of the snow, they
cancelled the Hassadim, which are called “lion.” This is considered killing, so they could
receive the light of Hochma from the left line. Extension of the lights is called eating. “And
you alone defeated thirteen mighty powerful men” because he raised MAN for the ascent of
Malchut to Bina, and then the thirteen mighty men from the left line were diminished and
joined the Hassadim on the right line, which are called “lion,” and they killed him no more.
284) If you defeated these thirteen mighty men, it is all the more so with these thirteen words
in the verse, “If he shall plainly say,” in which there is no power, only words. It is written,
“He shall plainly say,” since it is the conduct of the Creator to sentence and judge all. When it
is time for the woman that the slave had taken to find her mate, the Creator kills that slave
who took her and who is not his mate, and takes her to her mate, while the slave leaves this
world alone.
285) “And if the slave shall plainly say.” If he said in the beginning of the six years, he will
say at the end of the six years, before he enters the seventh year. It is so because if he says
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when he is even one day into the seventh year, his words are invalid. It writes, “The slave”
because he speaks while he is still a slave, in the sixth year. If he says in the beginning of the
six years and not at the end of the six years, it is nothing. This is why it is written twice, “If he
shall plainly say” [The Hebrew writes “say, say” instead of “plainly say”].
286) Here, while the slave is with that woman, he offers much prayer and litany each day
before the holy King. As the beginning of her taking was through mercy, so is the end with
mercy. This is the meaning of “Shall plainly say. “Say” [translated as “plainly”] in the
beginning, when he began with mercy, and “Say” in the end, when he asks not to be rejected
by her mate and that his prayer be accepted with mercy.
And what shall he say? “I love my master.” For this reason, for the manifold prayers, he loves
the Creator, corrects his deeds. “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out
free.” And the Creator accepts him in that repentance and for the profusion of those prayers.
287) The Creator, who was willing to bring him back in an incarnation to suffer punishments
in this world for what he had done, does not bring him back to this world. What does the
Creator do? He brings him closer to the courthouse of the seminary of the firmament, where
he is judged and handed over to the beating house. The Creator inscribes him with an awl,
how he has been given to the punishment house, and blemishes him to be under the
governance of the foreskin for a certain time, and then He redeems him.
288) If the Yovel [50th year anniversary] arrives while he is being flawed with the awl, even a
single day into the Yovel, it is considered that he was the whole time until the Yovel. This is
how he is punished and not more. The Yovel comes and he is redeemed and admitted into the
presence of the Creator.
289) “Hear, O mountains, the quarrel of the Lord and the strong ones, the foundations of the
earth.” He said to himself: “Old man, thus far you have been in the depths of the sea, and now
you have leaped on strong mountains to wage war against them. Indeed, thus far you were in
the strong sea, but before you went into the depth of the sea, you met those strong mountains
within the sea. Now you must wage war in the depths of the sea and against these mountains.”
290) An old and powerless man, who gave you into this? You were at peace; did you wish for
all of that? You have made it; you will suffer. Now you have no choice but to wage war and
to triumph in everything, and not turn back. Be strong in your might, gird your arms, and fear
not breaking those mountains, so they will not attack you. Tell them, “High mountains, strong
mountains, how are you strengthened?”
291) Two verses are written, “Arise, quarrel with the mountains and let the hills hear your
voice. Hear, O mountains, the quarrel of the Lord.” There are high mountains up above, HGT.
For them it is written, “Hear, O mountains, the quarrel of the Lord.” And there are lower
mountains, below, NHY. For them it is written, “Arise, quarrel with the mountains,” for there
is one who chases quarrel to them because there are Dinim in them.
292) Old man, but it is written, “And let the hills hear your voice,” the hills below, why do
you make them mountains?” However, in regard to the high mountains they are considered
hills, but in and of themselves they are considered mountains.
293) “And the strong ones, the foundations of the earth.” Mountains are three upper ones
above, on the heads of the strong ones, HGT. “The strong ones” are three below them, NHY,
but they are all one, mountains above. David said about them, “I will lift up my eyes unto the
mountains.” These are the first three, HGT. And the strong ones, the foundations of the earth
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are the three last ones below them. The two support the house, NH, and one is the joy of the
house, Yesod. And these are called “The foundations of the earth,” and they are strong and
mighty.
294) He said to himself, “Old man, old man. You knew that if one who makes war does not
know how to watch out, he will not win the war. He should be struck on his hand and be
careful with his thoughts, for what the other thinks, he thinks, and he should look out for
himself. The right hand is always made to strike, and his thoughts and the left hand are made
to receive and to look out—the thoughts are to look out and his left hand suffers the beating
from the other one. And the right is for anything.”
295) Now you said, “And the strong ones, the foundations of the earth.” The strong ones
below are NHY, and the mountains above are HGT. Be careful old man, for there is another
thought against you, as it is written, “Maschil of Eitan the Ezrahite.” This is Abraham Saba,
who is called Eitan [strong], and if Abraham is strong, Isaac and Jacob are strong, as well.
The patriarchs are HGT. Thus, HGT are strong. Rise up old man, for you know that this idea
strikes your idea.
296) “He took up his discourse and said, ‘Strong is your dwelling place.’” “Strong” is
Abraham’s morning, meaning “The morning was light.” This is the pillar, Yesod, on which
the whole world, Malchut, stands. It inherits its light from Abraham, Hesed, the river that
comes out of Eden, Yesod. Thus, Yesod is called “strong.” He said to himself, “Indeed old
man, here is one idea against you and you do not know how to take care: how is war made?
Old man, where is your might? Indeed, war is not for the mighty.”
297) It is written, “Maschil of Eitan the Ezrahite,” and “Maschil of David.” The river that
comes
out
of
Eden, Yesod, to David, Malchut, to inform him those high, hidden matters. This is why Yesod
is called Maschil [educating/enlightening]. And if Maschil is the river that comes out of Eden,
Yesod, which is below in NHY, then Eitan the Ezrahite will be Abraham, above in HGT. And
even though I am old, I strike this idea.
However, Eitan the Ezrahite is two degrees, “Morning was light.” Light is Abraham, Hesed,
and morning is the river, Yesod. Here, too, Eitan the Ezrahite, Ezrach is Abraham, and Eitan is
the river that stretches out of Eden, Yesod.
298) “Now arise old man and stand on your chariot, for now you will fall and will not be able
to rise. But King Solomon comes with his armies, his chariots, his men, and his horsemen.
They are coming toward you, arise, get out of the field lest they find you there.” It is written,
“All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at the feast, in the month
Eitanim [strong], which is the seventh month.” This is the month in which the strong ones, the
patriarchs, the strong ones of the world, were born. It is the month Tishrey, when the alphabet
return reversed in it, from below upward, in the order Tav-Shin-Reish-Kof, since the order of
the letters Tishrey is reversed. Thus, the Eitanim [strong ones] are the patriarchs, HGT.
299) And more of your words: “Eitan the Ezrahite” are two degrees. It is good that you go out
of the field and not be there, since had it written, “Maschil, Eitan the Ezrahite,” it would have
been good, as you said, that they are two degrees. But now that it is written, “Maschil of Eitan
the Ezrahite,” your war is pointless because it means that they are one degree and not two.
Thus, you must go out of the field and not be seen there.
300) Woe poor old man, how will you go out of the field? Thus, you will be defeated and you
will flee from the field. All the people in the world will chase you, and you will have no face
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to show to man and to the world. “Here I swear that I will not get out of the field, and here I
will see King Solomon, all the men of Israel, the mighty men, the horsemen, and his chariots
face-to-face.” The Creator will help you old man, for you are tired and powerless. Rise up old
man, prevail in your power, and grow strong, for until this day, you were the bravest hero
among the mighty ones.
301) “Maschil of Eitan the Ezrahite.” Had it written, “Maschil of David,” it would mean that
it is Yesod that gives to Malchut, who is called David. But it is written, “Maschil of Eitan.”
There is Maschil and there is Maschil. There is Maschil above and there is Maschil below.
“Maschil of Eitan,” since when the river, Yesod, rises in yearning, all the organs rejoice and
bond with it. And if it rises up to the upper Moach [brain], Hesed that became Hochma, it
reconciles with it and greets it gladly. Then it is “Maschil of Eitan the Ezrahite, for he
enlightens the Yesod and informs it through Abraham his loved one—who is Hesed that rose
and became Hochma—all that is needed. And that upper Moach, Hochma, enlightens Eitan,
Yesod. And when King David, Malchut, is corrected in craving for Yesod, Yesod enlightens
David as the upper Moach enlightens Yesod. Hence, there is Maschil [enlightening] and there
is Maschil.
302) “In the month Eitanim [month of the strong ones],” meaning who were born on this
month, Eitanim, since the building below, NHY is as that of above, HGT. Hence, strong
mountains were born in it. The mountains, HGT, are hidden, meaning that Hochma was
hidden in them and is not shining. Strong ones are thighs, NH, as strong as copper, and Eitan
is among them, Yesod, giving illumination of Hochma.
303) Rise up old man, strike in every direction. When Moses rose to receive the Torah, the
Creator gave him the 70 keys of the Torah, the seven Sefirot HGT NHYM, in each of which
are ten, thus they are 70. When he reached the 59th, Yesod de Yesod, there was one hidden and
concealed key, Malchut in Yesod, which is called Ateret Yesod [crown of Yesod], which He
did not give him. Moses begged Him and said, “All upper and lower keys depend on this key,
since the Atara [crown] is the Masach de Tzimtzum Bet [Masach of the second restriction], in
which all the Partzufim of VAK in the five Partzufim of Atzilut were corrected; it is the key of
all the Mochin.”
He said before Him: “Master of the world, what is his name?” He replied: “Eitan [strong] and
all the strong ones depend on him” since NHY from the Chazeh down, which are called
Eitanim [strong ones], are Partzuf VAK de Guf, and HGT from the Chazeh and above are GAR
de Guf. For this reason, the Miftacha governs them, Ateret Yesod, and the NHY exist in it,
being outside the Guf of the written Torah, ZA, since from Chazeh and below it is considered
outside the Guf, HGT. ZA informs him, which is the giving of the Daat [Sefira but also
knowledge], and educates him. Also, Ateret Yesod is the essence and the key of the written
Torah, ZA, for without the Masach of Ateret Yesod, Tzimtzum Bet, ZA would be unfit for
reception of GAR.
304) When the oral Torah is corrected in regard to him, meaning Malchut, Ateret Yesod
becomes her key, to Yesod of Malchut. At that time, Yesod is called “Maschil of David,”
Malchut. And because he inherits that oral Torah, Malchut, and becomes her Yesod—called
illuminating net [made of the letters Reish-Shin-Tav] from below upward—the letters in her
are reversed. This is why at that time her Yesod is called Tishrey [name of the first month,
with the letters reversed—Tav-Shin-Reish-Kof]. It is Tav-Shin-Reish, but because it is the holy
name, Malchut, the Creator signs the letter Yod in it from His name. This is why it is called
Tishrey [comprising the letters Tav-Shin-Reish-Yod in Hebrew].
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In the alter, Malchut, He signed the Hey de HaVaYaH in her Yesod, the Hey of the net up to
half the altar. Deborah, Malchut, came, and He signed a Vav in her. This is the meaning of the
verse, “Then sang Deborah [in Hebrew “and sang” comprise the letters Tav-Shin-Reish-Vav].”
In the place of Yesod of Malchut is the seal of the holy name that He signed in it, since the
letters Reish-Shin-Tav are the name “Yesod of Malchut.” Also, ZA signed his name Yod-HeyVav in these letters Reish-Shin-Tav in three places: here in Tishrey, the letter Yod; in the net of
the altar, the letter Hey; and in “Then sang Deborah” in the Vav.
305) We must know the key, Ateret Yesod, that opens in the written Torah, which is
established as her Yesod. This is why we say Tania [Aramaic: said], comprising the letters of
Eitan. Then it is written, “Strong [Eitan] is your dwelling place,” since Malchut is called
“dwelling place,” and when she receives from Ateret Yesod, it is written in regard to her,
“Strong is your dwelling place.” She is also called Braita [Aramaic: external], which means
outside the body, ZA, since Braita comes from the word LeBar [outside], externality. The
strong ones in the written Torah, ZA, are Tanaa’im [sages] in the oral Torah, Malchut. They
are supporting pillars outside the body, which are NHY. These NHY are called “strong” in the
written Torah, ZA, and they are called “Tanaa’im” in the oral Torah, since Eitan [strong] in
the written Torah is Tania in the oral Torah.
306) “Friends, I am in the field.” King Solomon and his brave heroes will come and find one
weary and powerless old man, strong, hero, triumphant in wars. I know he will come. I stand
behind the rock in the field and he is looking at me, at my strength being in the field. He looks
at me alone. He is the man of peace, who owns peace, and walks away. Now old man, your
strength is upon you, and you alone are in the field. Return to your place and untie your arms
off you.
307) “Hear, O mountains, the quarrel of the Lord and the strong ones, the foundations of the
earth.” The earth is Malchut, and she is nourished by them, the strong ones, foundations of the
earth, NHY. It is from them that she receives her abundance each day, hence they are the
foundations of the earth.
308) The Creator has a quarrel with His people. Who can endure the Creator’s quarrel with
Israel? “Hear, O mountains the quarrel of the Lord” is one quarrel. “Arise, quarrel with the
mountains” is the second quarrel. The Creator was triumphant in all those quarrels with Israel
and all these rebukes are all as a father who rebukes his son.
309) When He comes to win, it is written about Jacob, “The Lord also has a quarrel with
Judah, and will punish Jacob.” The quarrel as it is written, “In the womb he took his brother
by the heel.” It is about that that the rebuke and all those quarrels were. Is it not a great thing,
“In the womb he took his brother by the heel”? It is not a small thing that he did in the womb.
But did he commit deceit in the womb? Yes indeed.
310) Jacob repelled Esau in everything, so he would have no part of the Kedusha [holiness].
Esau was angered only by one, which are two, as it is written, “For this one has supplanted
me twice.” “This one” implies to one who equals two, one that went out to two. It is “My
birthright” with the letters inverted, becoming “My blessing” [in Hebrew the letters are the
same but inverted]. This is the meaning of twice, one that has equaled two.
311) Esau did not know what he had done to him in the womb, but his appointed minister
knew. The Creator thundered the skies and their hosts for that voice of the slandering of
Esau’s minister, since his appointee did not demand blessing and birthright, and he did not
say that he had a blessing to demand but did not demand. He certainly demanded
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brotherhood, as it is written, “Do not hide yourself from your own flesh,” and Jacob did not
wish to let him eat until he took his birthright from him.
312) What is the birthright that he took? He took from him the birthright of above and of
below, the sanctity of the birthright above, to offer sacrifices, and the birthright below, to
receive twofold. “Birthright” is written without a Vav [in Hebrew], then he certainly
supplanted his brother, making him a heel and throwing him back, moving ahead of him, for
he came first into this world. Jacob said to Esau, “You will receive this world first, and I will
receive next.”
313) “After that came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on Esau's heel.” His hand was
gripping the one that he was following, who was Esau, since Esau is called “heel” from the
time his brother followed him [“follow” and “heel” are spelled the same in Hebrew], and
since the day the world was created, the Creator named him “follow” [also “heel”]. It is so
because Esau is considered a serpent, of whom it is written, “He shall bruise you on the head,
and you shall bruise him on the heel.” You, who are called “heel,” will bruise him first, and in
the end he will bruise your head off you. His head was SAM, who was striking in this world.
314) For this reason, he was following his brother in the womb, where he had to be following,
and Esau took this world first, as it is written, “And these are the kings that reigned in the land
of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.” This is the meaning of
King Solomon saying, “An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning will not be blessed
in the end,” meaning it will not be blessed at the end of the world.
315) For this reason, “In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his power he
contended with God.” He asks, “What is his power?” And he replies, “They explained, ‘In his
power and might as it should be.’”
Yet, this is not so. Clarifying the matter, Jacob had the upper form and a holy body, for since
Adam HaRishon, there has never been a body such as Jacob’s in beauty. Jacob had the very
same beauty that Adam HaRishon had, and Jacob’s form was the very same shape of Adam
HaRishon.
316) When the serpent came to Adam HaRishon and he was tempted, the serpent could
prevail over him because Adam HaRishon had no power and might, for the one who is his
power and might had not been born then. Adam HaRishon’s power and might is Seth, who
was in the actual form of Adam HaRishon, as it is written, “And begot a son in his own
likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” “In his own likeness, after his image,”
meaning he was born circumcised. When Esau’s appointee came to Jacob, Jacob’s power and
might, who is Joseph, had already been born. This is the meaning of “And in his power he
contended with God,” who is Joseph, who was his power.
317) The voice of the serpent can cling to a woman’s voice like a dog to a bitch. In all the
voices of the women in the world, there is none to whom the voice of the serpent can cling,
grip, and partake in, except in two women: one who does not properly keep the impurity of
her menstruation and bleaching days, or dips a day early, and one who belates her period to
afflict her husband, except if the husband is not meticulous and does not notice it.
318) Those are two women, since as they dip before it is time, they are delayed with the voice
of the serpent until a voice clings to a voice. And as she belates her period to afflict her
husband by delaying the Mitzva, so the voice of the serpent hurries to cling to the voice of that
woman. Those are two women in whom the voice of the serpent clings to their voices as a dog
to a bitch. Impurity follows impurity, a kind after its kind.
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319) What concern is it of ours if a voice grips a voice or not? This is how the people of the
world are lost unknowingly. When this voice of the woman mingles and partakes with the
voice of the serpent, when the sinful and wicked Lilit comes out of her Ephah (measure of
volume) and roams the world, if she meets those two voices—the voice of the serpent and the
voice of the woman—the woman Lilit warms in them and they in her. And when she is
warmed, she becomes a spirit and they walk with her until the spirit roams and enters that
woman’s intestines.
320) And the child that she bears, when wicked Lilit comes and visits the spirit that came out
of the evil joining of the voice of the serpent that knocks in her, the spirit laughs with the
child until wicked Lilit arrives, as a woman who visits the son of another woman, chatting
with him and laughing with him until his mother arrives. This is what this spirit does. And
many times the spirit is an emissary of wicked Lilit and kills him. The power of the spirit robs
him. This is why it is written twice, “And they have none to comfort them,” from wicked Lilit
and from the spirit.
Voice and speech together are GAR. Voice without speech is VAK without a Rosh. The Dinim
that make it become VAK are from Masach de Tzimtzum Bet or from Masach de Tzimtzum
Aleph. This is the difference between the woman’s voice and the serpent’s voice because the
woman’s voice is like that voice of Malchut above, who receives from ZA, her husband, from
Tzimtzum Bet, while the voice of the serpent is from Tzimtzum Aleph.
The voice of the woman is kept by ZA, who is from Tzimtzum Bet. The voice of the serpent is
from Tzimtzum Aleph, and has no governance over her, except for two women—who remove
their husbands by dipping too early, bringing impurity over her husband, or who belates her
period and afflicts her husband. And because separation is made between a woman and her
husband, they lose the keeping of ZA from above and the voice of the serpent can cling to
them.
For this reason, the voice of the serpent cannot join the voice of a woman, unless through the
Klipa, Lilit, the female of the Sitra Achra and the serpent. This is why it was said that if Lilit
meets those two voices she warms in them, and when she warms, a spirit is made, and this
spirit is the filth of the serpent. And when he is born and comes out of the two voices of the
woman and the serpent, there are mixtures in it from the two Dinim: Tzimtzum Aleph and
Tzimtzum Bet. For this reason, it has equivalence with the woman’s son from Tzimtzum Bet,
like him, and has the strength to kill him with the power of the Din of Tzimtzum Aleph.
322) “Sin crouches.” The serpent, of whom it is written, “Sin crouches at the door,” meaning
at Malchut’s door, stands by the door like a dog. When the last voice comes out, which the
woman in labor gives before the delivery, he leaps from the door, moves from there, and
follows the woman. Because the Creator sends a key to open her womb, the voice flees and
the key arrives.
The serpent follows the voice that goes out to the world, and until the mountain in the
abdomen goes, meaning Yesod, since NHY are called “bottom mountains,” it bites there and
opens her womb. It knocks there until she is cleaned from that filth of the bites of the evil
serpent, and the Creator causes reasons and does deeds as it should be.
The souls are born out of Nukva de ZA. Before they are born and come out in the world of
Beria, they need to be impregnated in TNHY de Nukva, in the abdomen. There they receive
illumination of Hochma through the Nukva, who receives Hochma from the domination of the
left line, and who gives to the souls.
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The Nukva, who came under the domination of the left line, freezes and all her gates and
doors close. It is said in The Zohar that when she needs to give birth, she is blocked from all
sides, since she is frozen by the domination of the left, and the Creator takes pity on her and
provides a certain serpent for her, who bites in her pudendum and opens her, and she
promptly delivers. This is so because then the Creator, the middle line, elevates Malchut back
to Bina, diminishes the left line, unites it with the right, gives her Hassadim, and she opens
and gives birth.
When Malchut rises to the place of Bina, Nukva returns to VAK, Bina and TM of the Nukva
fall to the world of Beria, and the serpent acquires the strength to suckle from NHY de Nukva.
This is because while she has GAR, her TNHY are in Atzilut and the Klipot cannot suckle from
the Nukva because in Atzilut it is written, “No evil dwells with You.”
However, when they fall into Beria, they can already suckle from her. Then it is considered
that the Creator’s elevating of Malchut to Bina to unite the two lines with one another and
open her womb is the invitation of the serpent to bite in her NHY to suckle from them. Thus,
the opening of the womb and the suckling of the serpent come as one. However, the Creator
does it out of necessity, so the Nukva may be able to deliver.
“Sin crouches.” The serpent that stands outside of Atzilut is like a dog that stands outside the
house and has no strength to suckle anything from the Nukva in Atzilut. When the last voice
comes out, the last voice of the seventy voices of the one who is in labor, a moment prior to
delivery, he leaps over the door and follows the Nukva herself to cling to her, since the
Creator sends a key, Masach de Hirik, on which the level of Hassadim comes out, opening
her womb and elevating Malchut de Nukva to Bina de Nukva, to Tifferet. Then TNHY from
her Chazeh down fall into Beria, and the last voice leaves and the key arrives, meaning that
her TNHY fall into the world of Beria.
At that time the serpent follows the voice and clings to it until the mountain in the abdomen,
Yesod, goes and suckles there. This is regarded as biting in her pudendum because when
TNHY de Nukva are in Beria, he can suckle from them until she brings her TNHY back from
Beria to Atzilut, meaning that she extends GAR once more. Then she is purified from the
serpent’s bite, from his suckling, since he has no power to suckle from Atzilut.
323) The whole of the suckling of the serpent comes entirely because the abdomen, TNHY de
Nukva, was rejected, that they fell into the world of Beria. Of course the serpent is repelled
from the abdomen and has no part in it, since afterwards she extends GAR once more, and
those TNHY that fell into Beria return to Atzilut. Also, he is rejected from the abdomen
below—of the rest of the women in the world—since the women below are branches of the
upper Nukva. Thus, even though she pains them, he is not given permission to govern them.
Rather, he is given an abdomen that he governs, an abdomen of one who has strayed because
in this abdomen he takes vengeance as he pleases. The Creator gave him that abdomen so he
would not be completely repelled.
324) It is written, “Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him.” It is also written,
“And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh.”
The Sitra Achra obtained that thigh from Jacob, and that thigh was in its weakness until
Samuel arrived. Its weakness means that he did not extend the light of prophecy. When
Samuel came, he took that thigh and removed it from the Sitra Achra, snatching it from him.
Since that time, it has been removed from him and he has no part in Kedusha [holiness] at all.
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325) The Creator does not deprive the Sitra Achra and does not repel him altogether because
Samuel took his thigh. He gives him the thigh and the abdomen of the diverted in return for
the thigh and abdomen He had removed from him. Hence, the Creator gave both of them to
the Sitra Achra, so that the place of Kedusha would be free of any impurity.
326) It is as one who throws a bone to a dog and tells it, “Take this as your share.” All of it
did not harm him, except that the thigh—for which he labored and toiled, and which he
gained—was stolen from him and was taken out of his hand. This is why the Creator threw
him the bone of the one who has strayed, and by that he was happy and content.
327) All those Merkavot [chariots/assemblies] and his company always wish for a thigh and
follow him with yearning. For this reason, these are the knees of the sages who are tired from
the Sitra Achra, whose desire is only for a thigh, especially the thigh of sages. Everything has
been brought back to its place, and the Creator does not deny anything of all that is required,
or wish for it to be brought near to Kedusha [holiness], except for His people and lot, His
share and domain.
As the Creator does above, Israel do below, and so it should be. Thus, Israel are forbidden to
teach idol worshippers Torah, as it is written, “He declares His words unto Jacob, His statutes
and His ordinances to Israel. He has not dealt so with any nation,” since they should be
removed from Kedusha.
328) This is why Jacob rejected him and Samuel repelled, so he would have no part of the
Kedusha. And this is the reason for all the holding of grudge toward Israel, like a dog that
snatched a pure chicken from the market and brought it in, and before it managed to break it,
a man came and snatched it from it. Afterward, he gave him a useless bone to drag.
329) So is Esau’s minister. He was taken out from the abdomen, the thigh has been snatched
from him, and he was given a bone: the diverted one’s abdomen and thigh. This is the bone
that was given to his share and lot, and it was tasteful to him.
For this reason, all of the Creator’s Dinim are Dinim of truth, and people neither know nor
notice the Creator. Everything is in truth. The Sitra Achra diverted herself from her husband,
and likewise, the woman who is like her in the earth, the diverted one, is given to her.
330) One who finds his friend like him, who does as he does in the world, loves him and
clings to him, and deals gracefully with him. But the Sitra Achra is not so, since he finds
those who leave the Creator’s side of Kedusha, and does as his deeds and clings to him,
wishing to annihilate him and take him out of the world. This woman did as his deeds and
clung to him. She saw what he did in her, her belly swelled and her thigh fell. The Creator is
not so: One who leaves the Sitra Achra and clings to the Creator, He loves him and does to
him all the grace in the world.
331) It is written, “What gain does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?”
Had it written, “In his work which he does,” it would have been fine because there would be
work in which there is gain. But since it writes, “In all his work,” is there nothing left in
which there is gain?
332) There is a person in the world who is always engaged in harm and in harming, and does
not engage in the good for even a single moment. This is why it is written, “His work,” and
does not write, “His labor,” since “work” means bad deeds, as it is written, “Nor has He seen
work in Israel.” But labor indicates good deeds, as it is written, “God has seen ... the labor of
my hands.” But of his labor, it writes, “Labor and anger,” since his exertion is always in order
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to harm. This is why Solomon said, “What gain does man have in all his work which he does
under the sun?” “Under the sun” points to the Sitra Achra, who is under the sun.
333) When this person engages in evil, it is written, “He shall have neither great-grandson nor
grandson among his people,” since the Creator does not wish for him to bear offspring. If he
were to bear offspring, he would make the world murky. This is why it is written, “What gain
does man have in all his work.” And one who does not engage in bearing offspring clings to
that side of the evil man and comes under his wings.
334) Ruth said, “Spread your wing over your maidservant,” to mate with the righteous and
bear offspring. The Creator spreads His wings on man so that he will be fruitful and multiply
in the world. But one who does not wish to bear offspring will come alone, on the wing of the
evil man who walks alone like that serpent who walks alone, and he will go out alone, for he
did not try to bear offspring.
335) The Creator made a quarrel, as it is written, “Arise, quarrel with the mountains,”
meaning the mountains below, NHY. It is a quarrel because the whole iniquity that Israel do
against their Father in the sky depends on them. It is so because Israel knew the service, the
swears of all the angels in the sky, and did not miss on even one of them, including their
usage.
336) They were being persuaded into fornication on two sides: they knew how to draw the
powers of the stars and the fortunes on earth, and knew how to swear in them in all that they
needed. For this reason, the Creator wished to make a quarrel and judgment in the mountains,
since all the angels and the upper ministers receive their strength from these NHY, the
mountains. Thus, He aimed that there would be quarrel and judgment in them, their lights will
weaken, and all the angels and ministers in BYA will fall because they were useless, as their
power had ceased.
“And let the hills hear your voice.” Hills are mothers, the seven palaces in Beria, degrees that
are called “virgins” after her, the seven maids that serve Malchut. This is what Israel would
do until they partook in the lower degrees.
337) Many attacks did Israel do on the Sitra Achra in that thigh. Mordechai was showing that
wicked one, Haman, his thigh. This is why he was angry, for it is something that is rightfully
his, which he has gained from Jacob, and Mordechai angered him with it by showing him that
it has already been snatched from him.
It is written, “And Rebecca took the choicest garments of Esau her elder son, which were with
her in the house.” With those garments Jacob robbed him and took him out of all his blessings
and the birthright.
338) For this reason, the Merkavot [chariots/assemblies] of the Sitra Achra have found a libel
for the sages, and this is the rubbing that they always rub the sages’ garments, for the thighs
and for their garments. These are two things of the Sitra Achra, and the whole anger of the
Merkavot of the Sitra Achra is because they were robbed from him. Hence, they have no
complaint except for the sages.
For this reason, those garments of the sages that have been worn out by their rubbing, and
those knees that have grown tired, it is certainly from them. They were theirs and hence they
take libel from sages and from what comes from them, and ask of the sages, since they are the
whole of the rule of Jacob dwelling in tents. For this reason, there is no libel without a reason,
and hence there is nothing without judgment and sentence, and everything returns to its place.
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339) Solomon said, “And I returned and saw all the oppressed.” From where did Solomon
return?
340) Each day, Solomon would rise early and go to the east, Tifferet and middle line, then
return to the south, Hesed and right line, then return to the north, Gevura and left line. He
would stand there, lower his eyes and raise his head.
341) At that time, the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud would come. On the pillar of cloud
came a big and strong eagle. The right wing was on the pillar of fire, and the body and left
wing were on the pillar of cloud. He would bring two leaves in his mouth. The pillar of cloud
and the pillar of fire came, that eagle was on them, and they were bowing before King
Solomon.
342) The eagle came, bent down before him, and gave him those leaves. King Solomon took
them and smelled them. He knew the signs in them and said, “This one belongs to a falling
one, and this one belongs to one who is open-eyed. When there were two leaves, he would
know that both the falling open-eyed wish to inform him of some matters.
343) He signed his chair with a seal engraved with the holy Name, took a ring on which the
holy Name was engraved, went on an ascent, riding that eagle, and went away. The eagle
would rise to the top of the clouds, and wherever he went, the light darkened. The sages in
that place where the light had darkened would know and say, “King Solomon is going passed
here,” but they did not know to which place he was going. The fools that were there would
say, “These are clouds going and darkening the world.”
344) The eagle soared with him and flew 400 parsas [length unit] until he reached the
Mountains of Darkness, where it is Tarmud [name of a place], in the desert in the mountains.
There he descended, raised his head, saw the Mountains of Darkness, and knew all that was
necessary. He knows that it is necessary to enter there. He was riding the eagle as before, and
flew and went into the mountains up to that place where the olive is. He called out loud and
said, “O Lord, Your hand is lifted up yet they do not see it.”
345) He went in there until he came close to the place of the olive, and placed the ring before
them. He approached, and there he knew all that he wanted of those foreign teachings that he
wished to know. When they told him all he had wanted, he would ride that eagle and return to
his place. When he returned to his chair, he would reconsider and speak with his mind the
words of the respected teaching. He said, “I returned and saw.” “I returned,” from that road,
returned from that teaching, “And it settled in my heart and in my mind.” And then, “[And I]
saw all the oppressed.”
The grandfather explains the order of the reception of the wisdom that King Solomon, the
wisest of all men, extended each day. Disclosure of the wisdom [Hochma] is only in Malchut,
which is called “lower Hochma,” and whose time of domination is at night. This is why
Solomon rises early, while it is still dark, and first unites the three lines, south, north, and east
in one another.
First he united the three lines in the middle line, on the east side, and extended Hochma there,
which is called “seeing.” Then he returned to the south, right line, and extended Hochma
there, seeing. Then he returned to the north, left line, the origin of the emergence of Hochma.
He stood there to receive Hochma, since due to the subduing of the middle line over the two
lines, the GAR de Hochma disappeared and only VAK de Hochma remained. “He lowered the
eyes,” meaning Hochma, to not receive from GAR de Hochma, “And raised his head,”
extending the discernment of Rosh, only Rosh, from VAK de Hochma. This is the reason why
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the grandfather explained in general, and now he explains the details concerning reception of
the Hochma from the left side.
The place of the emission of the light of Hochma is in Bina, after she returned to being
Hochma in Shuruk, her left line. However, the place of disclosure of the Hochma is in
Malchut, which for this reason is called “bottom Hochma.” The disclosure is in two lines,
right and left, in Malchut, which are called “the pillar of cloud” and “the pillar of fire.” Bina is
called “a big and strong eagle,” since eagle alone is ZA.
When he would draw the VAK de Hochma, the pillar of fire and pillar of cloud would come,
meaning the two lines on the right and left of Malchut, in whom is the place of disclosure of
Hochma. A big and strong eagle, Bina—which is called “big and strong eagle”—came on the
pillar of cloud. This is so because Hochma is extended to Malchut from Bina, where Bina is
the place of exit and Malchut is the place of disclosure. Hence, both are needed, the eagle,
Bina, the pillar of cloud, and the pillar of fire in Malchut, which is the place of disclosure.
The right wing is Bina’s right line. It is supported by the pillar of fire, the Nukva’s left line,
where there are Dinim de Nukva, which are called “fire,” and extend from there Masach de
Hirik of the middle line. These Dinim caused the surrender of the left line and its unification
with the right. It follows that the right of Bina received its power to dominate through that
fire. This is why the grandfather says that the right is supported by the pillar of fire. Also, the
left wing, the left line of Bina—the place of the exit of Hochma—is supported by the pillar of
cloud, the right line of Malchut, Hassadim, since Hochma cannot shine without Hassadim.
The Hochma comes out of the left line and divides into two Behinot [discernments]: Falling,
and open-eyed. By the force of the Masach de Hirik—by which the middle line unites the two
lines—GAR de Hochma disappear and only VAK de Hochma remain. And because the GAR
de Hochma departed from the left line, the three bottom Kelim, NHY, fell off it, and the Kelim
HBD HGT in the left line remained, lacking the NHY.
The upper lights cause the fall of the bottom Kelim due to the inverse relation between lights
and Kelim. Had NHY de Kelim not fallen through the middle line, Hochma would have been
unable to illuminate due to absence of Hassadim. For this reason, NHY that fell from the left
line are called “falling,” and HBD HGT that remained in the left line with the lights of VAK
de Hochma that are corrected in Hassadim through the unification with the right are called
“open-eyed,” since the Hochma, which is called “eyes,” appeared in them.
The eagle would bring two leaves in his mouth. These are the two Behinot in the left line of
Bina, “falling” and “open eyed.” The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire came with that eagle
atop them, and bowed before King Solomon, since bowing of the head is called bowing. And
since they were carrying two leaves, “falling” and “open-eyed,” they were already lacking
GAR de Hochma, which is called “head.” This is considered that they lowered their heads and
bowed down, to correct the Hochma before Solomon.
King Solomon took the leaves and smelled them, meaning extended Hochma, since extension
of Hochma is called “scent.” He knew a sign in them, meaning how much Hochma it was
permitted to draw, and how much was forbidden. He said, “This one belongs to the falling,
GAR de Hochma, it is forbidden to extend, and this one—the open-eyed, VAK de Hochma—is
permitted.”
First, the falling was not corrected at all. Rather, it was fallen and blemished. Afterwards the
falling, too, was corrected, since the falling in it was recognized as correction. Without the
fallen, which caused the middle line, the Hochma in VAK would be unable to shine due to
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lack of Hassadim. For this reason, the correction was applied to the falling, as well, and the
falling, too, informed him words of wisdom, like the open-eyed, since they were illuminating
in one another.
Solomon rose and clothed in the core of the left line of Bina, the place of darkness—
illumination of Hochma without Hassadim, which is darkness and not light. However, it is the
exit of Hochma there, and when he later came to the middle line, clothing Hochma in
Hassadim, the Hochma returned to being light.
Before Solomon went to the place of darkness in the left line, he feared that he would fail
there in extending Hochma from above downward, which is regarded as the sin of the tree of
knowledge. For this reason, he sealed his chair with a seal in which the holy Name was
engraved, and the holy Name was keeping the Malchut from receiving the Hochma from
above downward. He took a ring on which the holy Name was engraved—the Mochin are
called “ring” when the holy Name is on them—and guards them so they will not draw
Hochma from above downward.
It was said that the eagle soared high with him and flew 400 parsas, meaning united his HG
TM, the three lines and the Malchut that receives. Because they are from Bina, whose Sefirot
are hundreds, they are four hundred. And since their origin is the Parsa, Masach de Tzimtzum
Bet, they are called 400 parsas.
The unification of the three lines is in two manners: First, the middle line unites the two
lines—right and left—with each other under the dominion of the right line. At that time only
Hassadim is poured down, but they are mingled with Hochma. Then it unites the two lines in
one another under the domination of the left, and the light of Hochma is poured down.
The first manner, uniting the two lines under the dominion of the right line, is regarded as
having reached the Mountains of Darkness because of the mingling of Hochma in Hassadim.
And yet, he still did not actually come to the Mountains of Darkness, where there is dominion
of the left, and where it is Tarmud in the desert in the mountains.
It is written, “And Solomon went ... And built Tadmor in the desert.” This is the unification of
the two lines in one another under the domination of the right. This is why Solomon could
build it even though it was in the desert, in an uncultivated land.” Because of the mingling of
the left it was a desert there. And because it is primarily Hassadim, he could make it a settled
place.
His going down there means that he went down from Bina to the earth, extending this light
from above downward because it is the light of Hassadim. “He raised his head” means that he
extended GAR, “And saw the Mountains of Darkness,” meaning he saw them from afar
because due to the mingling of Hochma in Hassadim, he saw them but did not enter them,
since he was under the dominion of the right, Hassadim. Also, he was completely content by
the light of Hassadim for completion of the GAR, and he attained that he was already fit for
entering the Mountains of Darkness themselves, under the dominion of the left.
It was said that he was riding the eagle as before, when he rose back to Bina, making the
unification of the second manner there, uniting the two lines—right and left—under the
domination of the left. This means that he entered the Mountains of Darkness themselves,
which are on the left line, up to that place where the olive is, the power of Masach de
Tzimtzum Aleph, which is called “an olive,” and which is hidden in the Mountains of
Darkness.
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He declared and said, “O Lord, Your hand is lifted up,” meaning he prayed for this force of
Din to be covered and concealed there. He entered the Mountains of Darkness up to the place
of the olive and placed before them the ring on which the holy Name was engraved, for
keeping him from failing in drawing Hochma from above downward. Hochma that is drawn
from above downward under prohibition is called “alien Hochma,” and he received that
Hochma, too, from the Mountains of Darkness, although he himself did not draw it.
Once they told him all that he had wanted, he returned to his place, meaning went out of the
left line and returned to his place, to the middle line, extending the light of Daat from the
middle line, while the Hochma that he received before—when he was on the left line—was
now illuminating in his Daat. At that time he said, “And I returned and saw.” “I returned”
from that road, the road he had taken on the left line. “I returned” from that Hochma, meaning
he returned from that Hochma that he received there and came into the illumination of the
Daat, while the Hochma that he received there was included in him and settled in his heart
and mind. Then, “And I ... saw all the oppressed,” since all the oppressed are because of their
clinging to the left line and their unwillingness to walk on the path of the middle line.
346) “And [I] saw all the oppressed.” Do you even consider that King Solomon saw all the
oppressed that are in the world? Rather, the oppressed are the children who die in their
mothers’ laps, who are oppressed from several sides: oppressed in the high place above, on
the part of their spirit, and oppressed below, on the part of the body.
347) There is none so oppressed as those oppressed that he oppressed first, when he sinned, or
that because of his iniquity he was punished from the third generation to the fourth, when he
was oppressed due to iniquity. The children die without a sin, hence they are not oppressed
harshly. This is not so with those who did sin or whose father or grandfather sinned, as it is
written, “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth
generations.”
348) How did he oppress? What was his iniquity? King Solomon cried out and said, “A man
who is laden with the guilt of human blood will flee to the pit; let no one support him.”
Because he is oppressed due to iniquity of blood that he spilled, he or his son or his son’s son
will be oppressed in the scales by the Sitra Achra, as it is written, “Will flee to the pit; let no
one support him,” meaning he will flee to the pit of the Sitra Achra. He will only flee from
the place of Kedusha [holiness] and let no one support him in this world. Because he is
oppressed in the iniquity of taking a life, he or his seed will be oppressed by the Sitra Achra.
349) There is one who is more oppressed than the rest of the oppressed, who is oppressed
because of the iniquity of “You shall not oppress,” which his father or his grandfather sinned,
as it is written, “You shall not oppress your neighbor.” If he transgressed and oppressed, he is
given an eye for an eye, and his sons are oppressed by the Sitra Achra. This is why King
Solomon said, “All the oppressed.” He said, “I stand and know all the oppressed,” on every
side that he oppressed, and it is not that he saw all the oppressed in the world.
350) Why are those who were done under the sun oppressed? Why “That were done”? It
should have said, “That dwelled.” And if doing is to praise, then it is above the sun, which is
the place of praise and corrections. Why does he say, “Under the sun”?
351) Of course, “That were done.” But since they were oppressed there in their spirit, why did
they incarnate into this world? It is because doing is in the body, which is the world of Assiya
[action/doing]. But the spirits were certainly done, meaning they were done in this world in
spirit and body. And because their bodies were perfected and a spirit was made and clothed in
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a pure and clean body, without the filth of iniquities in this world, the body was oppressed as
the spirit was oppressed. This is the body that the Sitra Achra enjoys more than anything.
There are other oppressed spirits there, of several kinds that were not made in bodies,
meaning they did not incarnate into this world. However, these are the oppressed ones that
were made in bodies. This is why it is written “That were done.”
352) There are others who were done, people who troubled their Master. Who are they? One
who oppressed his neighbor’s wife secretly or openly, and the child that was born to them is
oppressed, without the will of their Master and without the knowledge of the wife’s husband.
Those deeds are oppressed and trouble the Creator with making a body for them, and with
portraying a form to them. Those are the oppressed that were done, whose bodies were
certainly done by forcing. This is why King Solomon said, “And [I] saw all the oppressed,”
meaning I stand and know all the kinds of oppressions that were done in Assiya.
353) Such as those are the oppressed that were already done with a foreskin, who took and
multiplied and raised the body, and did it. When he turns thirteen years old, he is robbed of
him and he is taken away. Thus are the oppressed that were done. King Solomon stands over
all and says, “I stand and know of all the oppressions that were made.”
354) “And behold the tears of the oppressed.” Everyone sheds tears with a complaint before
the Creator. They shed tears because the foreskin, the Sitra Achra, multiplied and raised them
up to thirteen years, then they were robbed from the foreskin and the Creator took them. Thus
you have oppressed who were already done.
355) One who is thirteen years and one day old, who committed a transgression that is
punishable by death is put to death. They argue and will say, “Master of the world, is a day
old infant that has sinned sentenced? I was a day old because the Creator calls me ‘a son’ after
thirteen years, as it is written, ‘The Lord said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten
You.’’ Master of the world, is a day old child to be sentenced?” These are the tears of the
oppressed, and they have no comforter.
356) And there is another one who is oppressed, one who is called “a bastard.” When he
passes away from the world, he is promptly separated from the congregation of the holy
nation. A bastard is the poor and wretched who sheds tears before the Creator and argues
before Him, “Master of the world, if my father had sinned, what debt did I do? After all, my
deeds before you were upright.” “And behold the tears of the oppressed, and they have no
comforter.” Also, all those who are oppressed have a complaint before the Creator, and they
have no comforter on that complaint or one to reply with a word for their hearts.
357) When he said, “And behold the tears of the oppressed,” it is those who died in their
mothers’ bosoms. They shed tears for all the people in the world because no tear comes from
the heart like those tears, since all the people in the world wonder and say, “But the
judgments of the Creator are true, and they walk on the path of truth. Why did those poor
children who did not sin die? Where is the true judgment that the Creator works? And if they
passed away from the world for their fathers’ iniquities, why?” Indeed, they have no
comforter.
358) That tear of theirs in that world protects the living. A place has been set up in that world
where even complete righteous cannot stand. The Creator loves them, clings to them, and
establishes in them His high seminary. It is written about them, “From the mouth of infants
and nursing babes You have established strength.” And why do they ascend there? It is as it is
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written, “Because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.” And
there is also another place for those who repent.
359) Ten things were created on the eve of the Sabbath: the writing, the letter, and the tablets.
The tablets are the work of God. The letter is a letter of God. How is this evidence that it was
on the eve of the Sabbath? The full name is not written throughout the act of creation, only
Elokim, in all that was created. When all the work was completed, on the eve of the Sabbath,
He was called HaVaYaH Elokim, the full name.
360) Even though everything was created in the name Elokim, not all that was created was
completed in action, until the eve of the Sabbath. At that time, everything was completed in
action, as it is written, “His work which He had made.” “From all His work which He had
made” means that it was established in action. This is why it is written, “The tablets were the
work of God,” when the world was completed in the name Elokim in the work on the eve of
the Sabbath and not for afterwards, as it is written, HaVaYaH Elokim. By that, the world was
completed and established in its existence.
361) When Moses broke the tablets, as it is written, “And shattered them at the foot of the
mountain,” the ocean floated from its place and rose up to drown the world. Promptly, “He
took the calf which they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, and scattered it
over the surface of the water.” Moses rose over the waters of the ocean and said, “Water,
water, what do you want?” They said, “The world can exist only by the law in the tablets, and
for the law in which Israel lied and made the golden calf, we want to wash the world over.”
362) Promptly, he told them, “Behold, all that they did with the iniquity of the calf is given to
you. Are all those thousands that have fallen from among them not enough?” Promptly, “And
[he] scattered it over the surface of the water.” And they would not bathe in the water until he
took from the waters of the ocean and made them drink. Promptly, the ocean retreated to its
place.
363) There was no water in the desert, so it must be that he took from the waters of the ocean.
Can it be that he threw the ashes into the well of Miriam? It is unthinkable that Moses would
throw that bad memory there and then drink. Moreover, at that point they still did not have a
well until they came to the desert of Mattanah,” as it is written, “The well that the ministers
dug ... and from the desert of Mattanah,” from there they inherited the well.
364) What is “Engraved [Harut] upon the tablets”? It is freedom [Herut] from the angel of
death, freedom from enslavement of kingships, freedom from everything. Freedom is the seal
of the next world, in which there is freedom in every kind of freedom. And had the tablets not
been broken, all that came to the world afterward would not have come, and Israel would be
in the form of high angels above, as it is written, “The tablets were the work of God.” Thus,
do not say that after the world was completed and the full name HaVaYaH Elokim was
mentioned, the tablets came to be, but rather, from the time the world was completed with the
name Elokim, before the arrival of the Sabbath.
365) “...are the work of God.” What is “Are”? Turn the “are” [in the Hebrew letters, HeyMem-Hey] and you will find Mem-Hey-Hey, from two sides, from the two letters Hey de
HaVaYaH, Bina and Malchut. One is in action—the bottom Hey, Malchut—and one is in
freedom of above—the first Hey, Bina. It is written above, in Bina, to keep everything. And
the letter is a letter of God, black fire over white fire. It is Bina, freedom, Yovel [50th year
anniversary], and makes freedom for the entire world.
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367) “Place me as a seal over your heart, as a seal on your arm, for love is as strong as death,
jealousy is as harsh as Sheol.” “Place me as a seal.” When the Assembly of Israel, Malchut,
clung to her husband, ZA, she said, “Place me as a seal.” Since I have clung unto you, my
whole form will be engraved in you. And though I may roam to or fro, you will find my form
engraved in you and you will remember me.
368) “As a seal on your arm,” as it is written, “His left under my head and his right shall
embrace me,” so my form will be engraved there. By that I will forever be clung to you and
will never be forgotten by you. “For love is as strong as death,” with a strong Gevura such as
that place in which there is death. Love is the place called “Eternal love.”
369) “Jealousy is as harsh as Sheol,” as it is with love, since the names, “Love” and
“jealousy” come from the left side. “Its flashes are flashes of fire.” “Flashes” are precious
stones and gems that were born out of that fire, which are high degrees, from the flame that
comes out from the upper world, from the left line of Bina, clinging to the Assembly of Israel,
so all will be one unification. But the love and the flashes of the fire of the heart follow you,
may our form be engraved in your heart as your form is engraved in ours.
If men struggle
371) “If men struggle with each other and strike a pregnant woman, and her children come
out, yet there is no calamity, he shall surely be punished as the woman's husband may demand
of him.” “If men struggle with each other” are Michael and SAM, Michael from the side of
Kedusha [holiness], and SAM from the side of Tuma’a [impurity]. “And [they] strike a
pregnant woman” is the Assembly of Israel, Malchut. “And her children come out” to exile.
“He shall surely be punished” refers to SAM, “As the woman’s husband may demand of him”
is the Creator.
Returning a Loss
372) The subsequent Mitzva [commandment] is to return a loss, and following that, return the
stolen. Rabbi Shimon said to Moses, “The Creator will return the loss that you lost due to the
mixed multitude, and it is your bride, Malchut,” since Moses is the queen’s husband. “It is so
because when the mixed multitude made the calf, your bride has fallen,” as it is written, “And
he cast the tables from his hands,” implying to Malchut.
373) It is written about you, “Go, come down,” implying to your descent in the fourth exile.
“Go” is like, “Go forth from your country” into exile. There is a Shin in the name Moshe
[Moses], in which there are three lines [ ]. Here, in the three lines of the Shin, it implies to
you “Go” three times in the exile. And in the fourth exile, “Come down” for your only
daughter, Malchut, your bride, who has fallen.
It is written about the fourth exile, “She has fallen; she will rise no more.” And as soon as you
will come down for her she will rise with you. This is because she will rise no more by
herself, but through her husband, Moses. This is the returning of your loss.
374) There is a reason why the Torah was revealed to you more than to the whole of Israel,
and why she rose to you as the waters of the well that rose to you and not to the patriarchs or
to any man at all. It is because the well, Malchut, knows her master. And it is written about
this law, “From there is her well, the well where the Lord said to Moses, ‘Assemble the
people, that I may give them water.’” The well is full but her waters do not flow out. It is a
well of the water of the Torah, for the Torah is called “water,” which elicited all the water, the
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whole Torah, and all the water in the world enter her and her waters do not come out, but are
rather gathered within her.
375) It is a well from which even if all the people of the world drew water, and even all the
clouds in the world, they will not cause it to lack even as a hair’s breadth, as this well is
endless, deeper than the Torah, as it is written, “Wider than the sea.” One who draws water
with the jar, the 24 holy books, swallows all the wisdoms in the world, and especially the well
itself.
376) The Creator is destined to return to you what has been stolen from you: the rod, of which
it is written, “[He] snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand.” It writes “Egyptian” about
you, in your exile, and in your incarnation, for in each generation there is expansion of Moses,
who will set aside cities of refuge to save you from your several pursuers, who never end.
Setting Aside Cities of Refuge
377) It is a Mitzva [commandment] to set aside cities of refuge for those who have killed
because that Egyptian, which you killed in Egypt—in whom there was the primordial serpent,
and all his camps, which were surrounding him—you killed him prematurely, and not for fear
of his pursuers. In your youth, several women, who are the Klipot, pursued you in several
places, and the Creator gave you cities of refuge to be saved from them, being the gates of
repentance.
378) It is so because you are the son of Yod-Hey, since Moses was at the degree of the letter
Vav, ZA, the son of AVI, HB, Koh [Yod-Hey]. Once you repented in the bottom Hey of
HaVaYaH, you rose to Bina and were rewarded there with Yod-Hey-Vav, which is the tree of
life, since Bina is called “the living God,” and ZA who ascends to Bina is called “the tree of
life.” Thanks to her, you are rewarded with the letter bottom Hey, Malchut, since you have
admitted yourself into repentance after her, to return her to your Master and to elevate her
from the exile and not receive reward for it.
379) The Creator placed His name in you. And because your thought was to the Cause of
Causes, Keter, He placed His thought in you, meaning Hochma Yod-He-Vav-He, HaVaYaH,
which is MA in Gematria (45). This is so because Hochma has the letters Chaf-Het [Koah,
force] Mem-Hey [MA, meaning the power of MA], where through the name MA, the middle
line in the Mochin, the Hochma appeared. And the Cause of Causes unites these letters in you
to recognize and to know Him in those letters.
380) Once he was included in the Thought, GAR, he continues to explain how he received the
rest of the six Sefirot, since you were doing Hesed [grace/mercy] with Divinity, for because
all your Mitzvot are to keep a Hassid who is being Hassid-like with his Maker, He has given
you the quality of Hesed. And you kept the negative Mitzvot [commandments to refrain from
certain actions], and had to overcome your inclination and tie it under your hand, but you did
not try in this Mitzva, except to tie SAM under the hands of the Creator, and to tie the mate of
SAM, the wicked maidservant, under the hand of her mistress, Malchut, they and all the
appointees, and all their camps. For this reason the Creator has given you His quality of
Gevura [might] to be your aide, so that SAM and his mate, and all their appointees and camps
would shiver and fear you, and would be chained under your hand.
381) And because you repented with a token of a covenant, Yesod, Bina—the letters Yod-HeyVav—came down to bond with the Tzadik, Yesod, for you. This is why the Creator gave you
His covenant of righteous, Yesod. Also, because you did everything with a good thought,
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accordingly, the explicit Name will come down upon you and will descend on you from a
thought, GAR.
382) And because you try each day in prayer with both your lips to praise your Master in “My
Lord, open my lips,” in both your lips, in Prophets and in Hagiographa, and in every kind of
song and tune in the prayer, the Creator brings them down in both your lips, which are NH. It
is even more so with your degree, the middle pillar, Tifferet, in which you delved all your
days in truth. The Creator gave it to you to raise you in it in a true Torah, which consists of all
the qualities and letters, HGT NHY, in the explicit name, HaVaYaH, which is GAR.
383) It is so because before you repented, you were only in the tree of good and evil. Your
name was “a servant” and “a lad,” and a lad cries. A loyal servant is as it is written, “Not so is
My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My household.” And that wicked one, the partner of
the servant, caused you to sin with the rock because the scepter that was given to you was
from the tree of good and evil, from Matat and SAM, where Matat is good and SAM is bad.
Mem-Tet and Mot [rod/pole]
385) Without a Vav in the middle, it is Mat [wavering/teetering], as it is written, “A righteous
wavers before the wicked.” And who subtracted it? It is one, meaning one of fifty. This is so
because you were given fifty gates minus one, as we learn that Moses was given fifty gates of
Bina but one. This is the one that is missing from the fifty, leaving Mat [Mem-Tet, 49 in
Gematria]. And this caused you that “A righteous wavers before the wicked,” and the wicked
is SAM.
386) This is Mem-Tet from your rod, as it is written, “with God’s staff in my hand.” Your
staff is Moses’ rod, and this is why Aleph, Bina, returns to you, as we learn, Aleph Bina. She
returns to you in repentance, will enter between the Vav and the Vav, and will become VavAleph-Vav [Vav], to keep the words for Israel within you, “And with great compassion I will
gather you.” Henceforth, “He will never allow the righteous to be shaken” will be kept in you.
387) At that time, two Mitzvot will be in you: “You shall surely raise with him,” and “You
shall surely leave it with him.” “Raise” with an upper Vav is the first Messiah, Messiah Son of
David. “Raise” with the second Vav is the second Messiah, Messiah Son of Joseph. “With
him” is Son of Amram, the ascent to Bina, Aleph, between the two Vavs, and they are Vav
with this filling: Vav.
388) To whom is “Surely raise”? It is to the letter Hey, Malchut, which fell in the fifth
millennium after 72 years, as the number of “Will surely leave it with him.” “Leave” is the
letters Ayin-Bet Zayin-Vav. Ayin-Bet is AB names “And journeyed,” “And came,” “And
pitched.” This is the acronym of “this is Vav.” Vav is from Yod-Hey-Vav, ZA. There he helped
and did not keep her. “There” is in the five thousand and seventy two years. “Helped” means
helping that fallen Hey, and “Did not keep her” means that it is still not the time of
resurrection and redemption.
This is the meaning of “You shall surely leave,” only help. There is where the verse, “In its
season, the first and last rain, and you will gather your grain and your wine and your oil”—
which are Israel—applies. That is, through the corrections of first rain and last rain in their
time, Israel are gathered from the exile. “Grain” means Israel. “Wine” are the Levites, and
“Oil” are the priests. So are the corrections of the gathering of forgetting and of corners, “You
shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner.” And here we learn a third Mitzva, the
gathering of what was forgotten and the corners.
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389) We should repeat them, keep them, since on the part of the righteous, Yesod, he is the
poor. “You shall surely leave” is Yesod Tzadik. “With him” is the son of Amram. This is the
meaning of, “You shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner,” and you are the
foreigner, a poor nation, as was written of you in the beginning, “I was a foreigner in a
foreign land.”
390) But the rising, the redemption, is in your degree. “Raise” is the bottom Vav, the filling of
the Vav, Yesod. “Raise with him” means with the son of Amram, in your highest degree,
Tifferet, in your name MA, HaVaYaH with the filling of Alephs, which is MA in Gematria, the
complete, explicit name. After the Kof, Kof of “Shall surely rise,” the Tav-Yod-Mem remain.
This points to Jacob, a whole man, Tifferet. “With him” means he will rise with the son of
Amram. “Raise” means Tzadik, Yesod. “Raise” is whole, Tifferet.
Redeeming a Hebrew Slave
391) The subsequent Mitzva is to redeem a Hebrew slave and a Hebrew maidservant, to
designate the Hebrew maidservant, to discuss the possession of a Hebrew slave, you shall
surely give him. It is written about it, “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six
years.” Angel Matat is the servant of the Creator, and includes VAK, HGT NHY, as the
number of his six letters, which are the six Orders of the Mishnah, and by which one should
serve his Master, be a slave to Him, and become the possession of His silver. Silver is right,
Abraham, whose degree is Hesed. The Torah is given from there.
392) One who engages in the Torah to be rewarded with the next world, it is called
“possession.” His silver is named after the world of pleasure, possession, after the words,
“God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,” and the verse, “Acquire wisdom [Hochma]!
Acquire understanding [Bina]!”
393) Once he has bought it, he will have redemption. There are those who are bought forever,
and those who are bought for six years. It is written about those who are bought forever, “And
his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.” There is no world
but the world of Yovel, Bina, fifty, the Shema reading, in which there are 25 letters in the
evening prayer and 25 in the morning prayer, which are the fifty gates of Bina.
394) After a man unites the Creator in them, he is His servant with a burden of Tefillin on his
head and with his ear pierced, meaning open to hear the Shema reading, since he has heard
that he must understand the meaning of the Shema reading, which is the unification.
395) One whose redemption depends on the Shema reading, the fiftieth, Bina, has no
redemption in an incarnation by another, since he is pierced to his master. Here it does not
say, “Or his uncle or cousin will redeem him,” since in man’s prayer he is as a servant, in
whom it is written, “He shall serve six years, and there is no work but prayer.
“Six years he shall serve,” the first three and the last three in the Eighteen prayer, when the
leader in the prayer exempts a man for those who do not know how to pray in them. Thus, he
has redemption through another, since the leader in the prayer redeems him, that the righteous
one who lives forever, Yesod, the leader in the prayer, is called by them after the name of the
one who does not know how to pray, meaning by the name Boaz, Tzadik, near redeemer, and
loyal. The meaning of these names is that they help and redeem those who cannot help
themselves. This is the marriage to the brother and the incarnation.
396) The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.” “Better is a neighbor who is near than a
brother who is far” is the middle pillar, Tifferet. Yesod is a neighbor who is near, and Tifferet
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is a brother who is far, son of Koh, who rose to Bina. This is so because a world is the world
of Yovel, the fifty letters of the unification of the Shema reading, fifty gates of Bina. In this
world, Malchut, a man can have redemption from a Tzadik [righteous], Yesod, who is six
years that include the first three blessings and the last three of the prayer. The small Vav,
Yesod, and this is the meaning of “Six years he shall serve.”
397) But in the next world, the world of Yovel, Bina, where there are the fifty letters of the
Shema reading, the leader in the prayer cannot exempt him because he has no redemption
through others. For this reason Shema [Hear] in any language that you hear, but you must read
by yourself. This is why “If I am not for me, who [MI] is for me.” “Me” is Malchut, MI, the
world of Yovel, Bina. It implies to the Shema reading, when there is no me but MI.
Doubled-Edged Sword
398) When the heads of the seminaries who came down with Rabbi Shimon heard the words,
they started and said to Moses: “Moses, you are the mouth of the upper and lower Divinity,
Bina and Malchut, in both of which the Creator has spoken to you mouth-to-mouth in the
Shema reading, as it is written, ‘The high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged
sword in their hand.’” It is so because Yod de HaVaYaH is the head of the sword that
surrounds your lip. Vav de HaVaYaH is the tongue of your sword, the Hey-Hey de HaVaYaH
are the two edges in your lips, and certainly, the name of your Master, Divinity speaks from
your mouth. Yod-He-Vav-He is in your thought, eliciting these fifty gates of Bina from your
mouth.
Torah is the Mochin that appear from Bina in Daat to ZON and to BYA. This is the sword that
subdues and destroys the Sitra Achra, and which is revealed associating Malchut with Bina,
which equalizes their forms to one another. During the Katnut, Bina has the form of Malchut,
and during the Gadlut, Malchut has the form of Bina, meaning she obtains her Mochin. For
this reason, they both have the same letter Hey in the name HaVaYaH, for they are of one
form in the sword’s mouth, and they are considered the two mouths of the sword, which is the
Torah.
The force of the sword is primarily in them because were it not for the equivalence, there
would not be disclosure to the Torah there. It follows that they are the primary ones who act
to destroy the Sitra Achra, like the tip of the sword, which is the primary operator of the
sword. Also, they are of one form in the mouth, which is the place of disclosure of the Mochin
through the speech, where Bina is the upper lip and Malchut is the lower lip.
This is why they said, “Moses, you are the mouth of the upper and lower Divinity,” for he
became a mouth to the two of them together, which is the only possibility for the disclosure of
the Torah. “In both of which the Creator has spoken to you mouth-to-mouth in the Shema
reading.” There are fifty letters in the verse, “Hear...” These are the gates of Bina, from which
there are all the Mochin that come in the revelation of the Torah.
“The high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand” writes of
Moses’ mouth. Yod de HaVaYaH is Hochma that mates with the upper lip, which is Bina and
the first Hey de HaVaYaH, the head of the sword, GAR. Vav de HaVaYaH is the tongue in the
mouth, and Moses’ sword, the Daat that extends from the Zivug of Yod-Hey, the Torah.
The Hey-Hey de HaVaYaH are two edges in your lips: the upper lip is Bina and the lower lip
is Malchut. They act to disclose the Mochin in the correction of equalizing their forms to one
another. And when Malchut is corrected in this manner it is called “the name of Heaven.”
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This is why they said, “Indeed, the name of your Master, Divinity, speaks in your mouth,”
meaning that Malchut speaks and reveals the Mochin from Bina. Yod-He-Vav-He in your
thought is the middle line in the thought, which is GAR that elicits fifty gates of Bina from
Moses’ mouth in Shema.
399) The root of these matters is the correction of Malchut in Bina and their equivalence of
form with one another. This is the reason why Elijah is detained above, imprisoned there as
though in prison, and does not come down to you. This is because he would come down to
you with great wealth, and he is imprisoned above and does not come down to you because
your poverty is redemption for Israel. This is why the Messiah said, “Until the poor man
arrives,” as it is written, “And by His scourging we are healed.”
Because of the mitigation of Malchut in Bina, Malchut de Midat ha Din [quality of
judgment], was concealed. She is the fiftieth gate, which is hidden by this concealing. For this
reason, the fifty gates of Bina were given to Moses minus one, the fiftieth gate. This is Moses’
poverty, for there is none who is poor, except in knowledge, meaning who lacks the fiftieth
gate. And the fiftieth gate appears with the revelation of Elijah, since due to the mitigation of
Malchut in Bina, in the double-edged sword, Malchut of Midat ha Din was concealed,
meaning the fiftieth gate, and Elijah, who is the disclosure of the fiftieth gate, is detained
above like a prisoner in prison and cannot come down and disclose it.
He would come down to you with great wealth, the richness of knowledge that reveals the
fiftieth gate. And yet, he is imprisoned above because your poverty is redemption for Israel,
for were it not for the mitigation of Malchut in Bina and the concealing of Malchut of Midat
ha Din, ZON and the worlds would not be fit for Mochin de GAR. It follows that Moses’
poverty, which is the disappearance of the fiftieth gate due to the concealing, is Israel’s
redemption. By that, ZON and the worlds became fit for Mochin de GAR, to bestow upon
Israel, on which the redemption and the end of correction depend. This is why Elijah is
imprisoned above and cannot disclose the fiftieth gate before Israel receive all the Mochin that
should be revealed by this mitigation of Malchut in Bina.
For this reason, Elijah is necessarily imprisoned above and cannot come down to disclose the
fiftieth gate. Redemption depends on the arrival of the poor man, Moses, from the fiftieth
gate, revealing all the Mochin that must be revealed. “And by His scourging we are healed,”
since that pain and scourging of the deficiency on the fiftieth gate, he reveals all the Mochin
and heals Israel from all their deficiencies.
400) Permission was given to him and he came down to me, since he is more important to me
than all the silver in the world. And I absolve him and release him and break his oath for him.
You, too, break it for him, and if he needs further release, we will try with his release so he
may come down to me.
A Vow and an Oath
401) The oath of the Creator is Divinity, the only daughter. It is with good reason that they
determined that three people break an oath, for it is the Shin [ ] of Shabbat [Sabbath], where
the three branches of the Shin are three patriarchs, HGT, and the thick line that connects the
three branches from below is the only daughter, an oath that partakes in the three branches in
the Shin. Malchut is called “an oath” when she is connected with HGT de ZA, who—above
his Chazeh—is the fourth leg of the upper throne. This is what the Shin of Shabbat implies.
Hence, three people—corresponding to HGT—can break the oath.
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402) The oath applies only to something that is real. A vow applies even to something that is
unreal. Vows are more important than oaths because anyone who takes an oath swears in the
King himself, in Malchut, while one who makes a vow, it is as though he vows in the King’s
life, Bina, from which life—Mochin—extends to Malchut.
In GAR, Hochma can shine without clothing of Hassadim. But in ZAT, Hochma does not
shine without Hassadim. The oath applies only to something that is real because the oath,
Malchut that extends Hochma above Chazeh de ZA, is fourth to the patriarchs and does not
exist there for lack of Hassadim. Instead, she must descend from the Chazeh and receive
Hassadim from Yesod de ZA to clothe the Hochma in them, and then the oath applies,
meaning exists.
This Masach of Yesod, which extends Hassadim, is called “something real,” Aviut [thickness].
But a vow, which is Bina and GAR, applies even to something that is unreal, which does not
need a Masach for bestowal of Hassadim, since in GAR, Hochma can shine even without
Hassadim.
403) The one who each day and always renews the act of creation will innovate innovations
for us, since there is nothing new under the sun, ZA. However, there are innovations above the
sun. In the secrets of Torah, “For the Lord God of hosts is a sun and shield,” there are shining
and protecting even under the sun in the world of Atzilut, and not in the three worlds BYA,
where there are the Klipot that deny His uniqueness.
And even though God has made them one opposite the other, meaning that the Klipot are the
work of God, since from out of the darkness, the Klipot, comes out light—by people
overcoming them, they are still regarded as the world of the uneducated, and the light of the
sun, ZA de Atzilut, does not extend to protect them.
404) The next world, Bina, above the sun, is the middle pillar, ZA. For this reason, vows from
there are more important than an oath and apply to something that is unreal, in which the
Masach does not extend Hassadim. And because an oath, this world, Malchut, exists only on
Yesod, which carries the Masach de Hassadim, which is real, as it is written, “A righteous is
the foundation of the world,” it follows that it applies only to something that is real.
405) We swear by Yesod, as it is written, “As the Lord lives, lie down until the morning.”
Yesod is called “living.” The bottom Divinity, which is called “the Western Wall,” Malchut, is
its dwelling place, since it is a mound to which everyone turns.
A wall comprises the letters Chaf-Vav Tav-Lamed [Kotel]. HaVaYaH, ZA, is 26 in Gematria.
Divinity is certainly the mound of ZA, after the verse, “His locks are curled, and black as a
raven,” where on every curl there are mounds over mounds of laws. The Dalet of Ehad [“one”
in the Shema reading] is a mound to which everyone turns, Malchut. The tip of the Dalet [ ]
is Yesod, which distinguishes her from the shape of the Reish [ ], gripping between the AlephHet of Ehad, ZA, and the Dalet of Ehad, Malchut, as it is written, “For everything that is in
the heavens and the earth.” “For everything” is Yesod, clinging to ZA, the heaven, and to
Malchut, the earth.
406) The world stands on the Yesod [foundation], on a pillar whose name is Tzadik
[righteous], as it is written, “A righteous is the foundation of the world.” He is the covenant of
the oath, Malchut, since the Aleph-Het Dalet stand on him, the heaven and earth, as it is
written, “If My covenant be not day and night, I have not put the ordinances of heaven and
earth.” Aleph-Het are heaven, ZA, and Dalet is earth, Malchut.
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407) The covenant, Yesod, is gripped between heaven and earth, ZON, and in it is the oath,
Malchut. It is written about it, “As the Lord lives, lie down until the morning,” since the oath
depends on Yesod, who is called “living.” One who swears in His name in vain, it is as though
he destroyed the structure of heaven and earth and reverted the world to chaos, for if a person
removes the tip, Yesod, from the Dalet of Ehad, Malchut, it will leave Aher [other], SAM, in
whose place there is falsehood. It is as though one builds heaven and earth on falsehood.
Truth stands, and a lie does not stand and will ultimately be revoked. Thus, he destroyed the
building and the heaven and earth fell.
408) One who swears falsely, it is as though he threw the glory of Israel from heaven to earth.
Divinity is earth, and Tifferet [glory] is heaven. He did not part from it even in her falling, to
keep in her the words “I am the Lord, it is My name, and I will not give My honor to
another.” Truth, ZA, fell with her, as it is written, “And truth shall be cast to the ground.”
Thus, the cause of Malchut’s fall also causes the fall of ZA. This is why one who swears in
vain causes the fall of heaven and earth, and one who swears in truth keeps the verse, “Truth
shall grow out of the earth,” the middle pillar, ZA, which is called “truth,” in which the
building stands. Thus, the construction of heaven and earth is established on truth.
409) And because the oath is the structure of this world, Malchut, it cannot exist without
Yesod [a foundation], something that is real, which carries the Masach on which the Zivug of
Hassadim comes out. A vow is the next world, Bina. It is higher than an oath and applies to
things that are unreal, since Bina does not need a Yesod on which to exist, a covenant, in
which there is coupling, since in GAR the Hochma does not need Hassadim to clothe in. This
is why on Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement], which is the next world, Bina, in which they set
up the Kol Nidrey [a prayer called “All the vows”] the coupling is forbidden because the vow
is from Bina and there is no Zivug de Yesodot in Bina.
410) The letter of the covenant, Yod, is in Bina, Yesod de Bina, the crown of a book of Torah,
which is a Tzadik, Yesod de ZA. There is neither eating nor drinking in the next world, nor is
there coupling. Rather, the righteous sit with their crowns on their heads.
411) Because there is no use of this world, Malchut, in the crown on the head of a Tzadik,
which applies only in Bina, all who use the crown pass away from the world. This is so
because the crown in this world is below the Yesod and is not on the head of the Tzadik. The
points are for using the letters, but in the next world, Bina, there is no use for the letters,
which imply to ZON. For this reason, there are no points [punctuation marks] in letters in a
book of Torah, but tags that extend from Bina, and they are a crown at the top of the letters,
which are ZON. For this reason, one who uses a book of Torah passes away from the world.
And so they say of one who studies the laws that one who uses the crown passes.
Barn and Winery
413) Moses, the loyal servant, a Hebrew slave is upon you. It is written, “You will surely give
to him.” “You will give to him” means give to his sons these hidden things. “And from your
threshing-floor” in the threshing-floor of your Torah, “And from your winepress.” In the barn
and winery, the verse speaks as the authors of the Mishnah taught. The verse speaks of the
waste of barn and winery.
A barn is a male, ZA. The waste of the barn is Dinim de Dechura [male Dinim], which extend
from the Shuruk. A winery is Nukva, Malchut. The waste of the winery are Dinim de Nukva
[female Dinim], which extend from the Hirik.
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414) YeKeV [winery] is an acronym for Yihud, Kedusha, Beracha [unification, holiness,
blessing, respectively] of the Creator. Divinity, Malchut, is the Creator’s blessing when she is
on the right, Hassadim. She is the Creator’s Kedusha when she is on His left, in Hochma, and
she is the Creator’s unification when she is in the middle line. The letters of the Creator add
up to the number 112, the letters of YeKeV. The Creator has the number of 112 because the
Creator is ZA, and Nukva is the calculation of ZA.
415) One who is proficient, meaning who is the letters YeKeV in his law, in Divinity, the
Creator is with him, since thanks to it He will never move from him. There is a law that is a
maiden, serving her on the part of the lad, Matat in Beria. It was said that the law about her is
as his, concerning her maiden. However, it is a law of Moses, of which it was said, “It is a law
to Moses out of Sinai,” that the Creator gave you His daughter, Divinity, by Himself.
416) This is why it is written about other laws, “Many daughters have done nobly.” It is
written about your law, “But you excel them all,” meaning she prevailed over all of them with
Gevura. “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” Be corrected in you and complete
the King’s construction, Divinity, since He builds His building by you and through you.
417) Moses started and said, “The angel that redeems me from all evil is Divinity, of whom it
is written, ‘And the angel of God journeyed,’ will bless you in the next world, Bina. ‘And
may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth,’ in this world, Malchut. That is, may
your governance be in the two worlds where you live. My name is from this world, Malchut.
It is called ‘Living,’ as it is written, ‘She is a tree of life to them who hold her.’ Life is in
Bina. Life here is in Malchut.”
418) But one who is not clothed in shells of skin and flesh, bones and tendons of the lowly
body, where the spirit is dead, is like a dead person who does not see, does not hear, does not
speak, and has no motion in any of his organs, the spirit does not see what is above it. We
learn about them, “Know what is above you; the eye sees, the ear hears, and all your deeds are
written in the book.”
419) Several angels go with him, as it is written, “For He will give His angels charge
concerning you,” and He has no authority in this body, to look at them and to hear their
voices, for they are animals of fire, speaking, sanctifying, and blessing both the Creator and
Israel. It is all the more so for Divinity, which is over them, and even more so for the Creator,
who is above Divinity, in which He receives the prayers of Israel.
420) For the iniquities, they would clothe in these Klipot like a man that the iniquities of their
fathers are in their hands, gripping the act of their fathers in their hands.
421) In the future, it is written, “Your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will
behold your Teacher.” It is so because when you are in this world, Malchut, and have no
shells or skins, you have permission to look at the people of the world, and the people of the
world are permitted to look at you. This is why it was said about you that you are alive and
that your world is the world of the living. However, this lowly world is the world of the dead
because except for the Creator, the gods of the nations of the world are all dead.
Watching Through the Windows
422) Rabbi Shimon said to Moses: “Although you cannot look at the people of the world with
eyes and not with angels, it is even more so with the Creator and His Divinity. However, you
see everything with the mind’s eye of your heart, the people of the next world, the angels, and
the Creator and His Divinity who surround you.” This is why Solomon, of whom it is written,
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“For he was wiser than all men,” said, “My heart has seen much wisdom,” with the mind’s
eye.
423) Yet, in prophecy, a prophet has no permission to look in it with the mind’s eye, but with
the eyes, which is a sight and a vision of the eyes, as it is written, “I ... shall make Myself
known to him in a vision,” and moreover, in a night’s sight. A vision is during the day; a sight
is at night. Everything is in the eyes, and not in the mind’s eye of the heart.
Also, the two eyes are two mediators of the heart, mediating between the evil inclination in
the heart and the man, and serving him, while he is the king between them. For this reason, a
wise man, who sees with the eyes of the heart, is better than a prophet, who sees with the
eyes. Also, the two ears are two servants of the heart.
424) For this reason, the heart sees, the heart hears, the heart understands, and the heart
knows. “And in the heart of every wise-hearted I have placed wisdom.” Thus, wisdom,
intelligence, and knowledge are in the heart, for in them the heaven, the earth, and the deeps
were made, and in them was the tabernacle made.
425) Moses, in whom it is all in his heart, saw more than a prophet. It is even more so with
your thought, which is endless. With it, you will look at He in whom there is no end, what
you were initially forbidden to look at with the eyes, as it is written, “You shall see My back,
but My face shall not be seen.”
426) The foolish-hearted ones are dead. They are blind in those shells of the body. But for
you, they are of no importance whatsoever. They do not separate you from the Creator and
His Divinity, or between all those who are in the next world and the angels, for so he will
come to you with those windows of the eyes, the ears, the hollows in the nose, and the mouth,
as a king who secretly comes into hidden rooms to speak with his son. This is why Israel pray
in their prayer, “You search all innermost parts, see the mind and the heart, and nothing is
hidden from you.”
427) This is why Solomon said, “Watching through the windows,” the windows of the eyes,
the ears, the holes in the nose, and the mouth. By these seven holes the soul rises in seven
kinds of perfumes. Also, the prayer rises in these seven kinds of perfumes, which are
spikenard, turmeric, bamboo, cinnamon with all the trees of incense, myrrh, and tents with all
the heads of the perfumes. During the prayer, it rises so: perfumed with myrrh and
frankincense. The Creator asks about her: “Who is this who comes up out of the desert like
pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense?” “Who is this” is from the side of
MI, Bina, comprising seven kinds of perfumes, her HGT NHY, which illuminate in scent—
illumination of Hochma.
428) This Shema reading comprises the fifty gates in Bina, which are 25 letters in the Shema
reading of the morning, and 25 letters in the Shema reading of the evening. They consist of
seven blessings. At dawn, two are before it and one is behind it. In the evening, two are before
it and two are behind it. These are the seven Sefirot: The great, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod,
“For everything that is in the heavens and the earth,” Yesod, up to “Yours, O Lord, is the
kingdom,” Malchut, comprising three perfumes: incense of myrrh is Keter, frankincense is
Hochma, and every dust of the merchant is Bina.
You Shall Not Follow the Masses in Doing Evil
429) “You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to
turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert.” “Turn aside after a multitude in order to
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pervert.” There is no multitude of less than three. If there are no court of three, it is forbidden
to follow its sentence. The court is Divinity. Three are the three animals of her Merkava
[chariot/assembly], HGT. Divinity is called “the law of Torah,” the true law, where the middle
pillar, ZA, is called “truth,” and Divinity is his Din. Any judge that does not judge truthfully,
it is as though he made SAM govern the world, as it is written, “And truth shall be cast to the
ground,” meaning ZA, who drops Divinity with him. He raises Hell, SAM’s partner, along
with SAM. In a place of true judgment, He establishes the language of falsehood. A true
judgment is the middle pillar, the language of deceit, Hell, and SAM.
430) For this reason, when the judge judges, Hell is open before him on the left, SAM’s mate,
and a sword is on his throat, which is the angel of death. SAM is behind the neck, the Garden
of Eden is open to his right, and the tree of life is open before him on his head.
431) If he sentences falsely, the angel of death governs him and slaughters him, then burns
him in Hell. If he sentences truthfully, the Creator brings him to the Garden of Eden and gives
him a taste of the tree of life, of which it is written, “And he shall take also of the tree of life
and eat and live forever.” It is the “forever” that is created in the Torah, of which it is written,
“She is a tree of life to them who hold her.” The tree of life is Tifferet, and his life is HB, the
life of the King.
432) The sentence of Malchut is always Din. The Din is in the heart, as we learn, “The heart
sees.” This is why the judge has only what his eyes see. Also, there is no judge but the
Creator, what His eyes see, “For the eyes of the Lord wander,” His eyes are on the ways of a
man.
433) “Watching through the windows” means through man’s seven holes: the two eyes, the
two ears, the two holes of the nose, and the mouth, thus the seven Sefirot of upper Ima. This is
how He looks at his ways with seven, from the perspective of the lower Divinity: with the two
hands and the neck, which are three, with a body and a covenant, Tifferet and Yesod, which
are five, and with two legs, thus seven. These are the seven Sefirot of the lower Divinity: the
two letters of the name Yod-Hey, GAR, with the filling of Yod-Vav-Dalet Hey-Aleph, which
are seven letters.
Through these seven letters of His, He looks at the seven holes of the head. They are called
“holes” after the female, upper Ima, whose holes are open to receive. The two letters Vav-Hey
in the Guf are the lower Divinity, with their letters of filling—Vav-Aleph-Vav Hey-Aleph.
They are seven letters, and in these seven letters of His, He looks at the seven organs below:
hands, neck, body, circumcision, and legs, which are the correction of the body, in which
there is the making of the Mitzvot.
434) The wife of ZA, Divinity, is similar to a body from which the body of the lower man
extends. It is called “organs,” “248 organs,” after the Mitzvot, and it is called “body” after
Divinity. This is so because on the other side, there is no body but only clothing, which is as it
is written, “Clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews.” In a
place where there is no Divinity, it is not considered the body of that lower man, but it is
called “man’s clothing,” ZA.
The Torah is called “man,” as it is written, “This is the law [Torah]: should a man die in a
tent.” “As the beauty of man, to dwell in the house.” In a place where there is Mitzva,
Divinity, it is called “the body of the lower man, “man’s body,” like the bodies of laws and
sentences, which are the names of Divinity.
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435) A judge, an arbiter, an officer, and a ruler. The Creator is a judge, the middle pillar. ZA
from the side of Bina, the Mochin de GAR that extend from Bina, which is HaVaYaH, is
called “a judge.” An arbiter is considered from the side of Malchut. An officer is a ruler, as it
is written, “And Joseph is the ruler.” All the Sefirot are judges on the part of upper Ima, Bina,
in whom there is the Mochin. Tifferet, which extends from her, is a judge, and all the Sefirot
are included in it. These are officers on the part of Malchut, in whom there is the domination,
and the righteous is policing and ruling from there.
Keep Away from a False Matter
436) “Keep away from a false matter, and do not kill the clean and the righteous.” It is a
Mitzva [commandment] to equalize the litigators and to keep away from a false matter, so
they will not say that there is bias in the matter. This is so because it is written of the Creator,
“Who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.” At the ends of the letters there is one. This
judge should be like the one who is one HaVaYaH, who will not take a bribe, meaning be in
His form.
437) Similarly, in judging, the two litigators should be equalized as one so the judgment will
not lean to one more than to the other. Rather, they will be of equal weight until they accept
the judgment. Afterwards, each is judged according to his actions.
438) A righteous is judged by the good inclination. A wicked is judged by the evil inclination.
An intermediate, both judge him. One who is from the tree of life, which extends from ZA, is
not judged at all, for he has no evil inclination. He is a complete righteous. This is, “A
righteous who is happy.” And there is no good except the Torah, as it is written, “For I give
you good doctrine; do not forsake My teaching.” And a righteous who is suffering is from the
tree of knowledge of good and evil, Malchut. He is called “righteous” although he is
suffering, which is the evil inclination. But because the good inclination governs him, he is
called “A righteous who is suffering,” for he suffers under its authority.
439) A wicked who is happy. The Torah is called “good.” He is called “evil” because he rose
to being a Rosh in his evil inclination, and the good is under his dominion as a slave under his
master. And even though a wicked is crowning the righteous, and a complete righteous can
punish him, it is not good to punish the righteous, too, since because that good one is under
the feet of the wicked, he must not be punished, for perhaps he will repent and overcome his
inclination, and the evil inclination will be dust under his feet.
440) From the perspective of a wicked who is happy, Divinity lays, as it is written, “And
uncovered his feet and lay down.” This is “And a maidservant that is heir to her mistress,” a
maidservant of the evil inclination. The evil inclination is a male, for whom it is said, “I will
not give My honor to another,” and “But the stranger who comes near shall be put to death,”
since the evil inclination is called “other” and called “stranger.”
441) On the part of the righteous who is suffering, Divinity is a crown on a man’s head, and
the maidservant, the evil inclination, surrenders under her mistress. And on the part of the
complete righteous, there are neither foreigner nor evil inclination. And on the part of the
complete wicked, he has no part in Divinity, for man has no part of Divinity except on the
part of the good.
442) The Divinities are not the same because the Divinity of the tree of knowledge of good
and evil, the throne, is in the world of Beria or in man’s body. But the Divinity of the tree of
life is in the world of Atzilut. It is written about her, “Evil shall not dwell with you.” But
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because it is written in regard to her, “And His kingdom rules over all,” one who flaws her
place in Beria or in man’s body, it is regarded as though he has disgraced the queen herself, in
Atzilut, for the disgrace of the queen is one who has contempt for her place. Also, scorn for
the queen is scorn for the King, ZA, thus he flaws ZA, too.
443) It is even more so for one who removes her from her place in Beria, and places a
maidservant in her place. This is because in every place that he flaws, the queen is not
present, but the maidservant, who is flawed and dwells in a flawed place. And man’s flaw due
to his iniquities flaws all of his organs until the queen finds no place to dwell there. Thus, he
cannot be corrected until he reinstalls her over all his organs, when he repents on all his
iniquities.
444) Rabbi Shimon said, “Moses, this is why you establish in this composition of the 248
Mitzvot, to enthrone the Creator over all the organs of Divinity in each and every Mitzva, and
you have no concern for your own honor. Happy are you, for as you enthrone the Creator over
all the organs of Divinity, who are the virtuous ones in all of Israel—for the virtuous ones are
the organs of Divinity—so the Creator works to instill His name over you and will enthrone
you over all the camps above and below.
The Order of Judgments in Laws of Torts [damages]
445) Rise Moses, to establish sentences in lows of torts in the order of HaVaYaH. It is as it is
written, “The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands,” which are ox, eagle,
lion, and man. On the right, where there is HaVaYaH, it is so in the order of the four animals:
Man, lion, eagle, and ox, where ox, Gevura, is last. According to the change that is done in
them is the movement and the order of the animals. The animals of the other side, the torts on
the left, their order is as follows: SHANAAN [translated as “Thousands upon thousands”] is
ox, eagle, lion, and man. This is the reason why their beginning, the ox, ties to the four
primary torts: ox, pit, uncovering, and burning, and their conclusion: man—who is always
stumbling.
446) “ADNI [Lord], open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.” ADNI with its
letters reversed is DINA [Aramaic: Din]. Because Malchut is called ADNI, with the letters of
DINA, all the Dinim are sentenced under that name. They are sentenced in four and in three.
In four is the Divinity that corresponds to the three patriarchs, and she is the fourth in regard
to them. In three is the middle pillar, ZA, HGT, a true arbiter. It is an arbiter to judge on the
part of ADNI, Malchut, where there is the true arbiter. On the part of the name Elokim, Bina,
it is a judge, as it is written, “For God judges.”
447) The Dinim are 1) to discuss ox damages; 2) to discuss pit damages; 3) to discuss fire
damages; 4) to discuss human damages; and 5) to discuss the sentence of four guards—who
guards for nothing, who guards for pay, who borrows, and who rents. Accordingly, there are
four laws—the law of division among partners, the law of land division, the laws of
menservants and maidservants, and the laws of plaintiff and defendant in several kinds of
lawsuits concerning money, theft, loss, or damage to one’s neighbor, and killing him in one of
the four executions of the court.
448) The Master is the Creator, in ADNI, since Master [Adon] comes from the word
“judgment” [Din], discussing all kinds of sentences, meaning for an evil maidservant that is
heir to her mistress, from whom come all the damages, which are harm-doing angels, from
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whom come the souls of the wicked. The souls of the wicked are the harm-doers in the world.
Another god is a wicked, thieving harm-doer, and his mate is the potion of death.
449) The tort of cessation, shame, and healing must be paid to Divinity and her sons, who are
Israel. Cessation means cancellation of Torah, when the Sitra Achra cancels her from the
sons. Healing means that she caused them to be healed from words of Torah. Torts are several
damages of harm-doing angels, saboteurs, anger, and wrath. Shame means that they would
despise Divinity with their false idols, and would say, “Where is your God.” How many thefts
did the evil maidservant steal, as it is written about her, “The plunder of the poor is in your
houses.”
450) How many blessings did the evil maidservant steal from Divinity by weight of the tax
and by weight of several odd sentences on her sons? Also, how many offerings of the Temple
did she revoke from the queen? The shame of the queen who remained naked from the four
garments of gold that illuminate from the four lines of stone, HG TM, in twelve gemstones,
where each of the HG TM consists of three lines, hence they are twelve. A coat of several
crows and pomegranates, and the four white garments in which the queen would adorn herself
before the King, as it is written, “And I will look upon it to remember the everlasting
covenant.” And the stealing of the queen, Divinity, several foods of the offerings.
451) A prone ox, the evil maidservant’s husband, enters the house of the King, his master, in
his four primary torts—iniquity, saboteur, anger, and wrath—all of which are intended to
spoil. With his body, he strikes the vessels of the altar, the Menorah [the Temple
candelabrum], the table, and the rest of the vessels, crouches on them and breaks them. With
its tooth, it eats all the offerings and the foods on the table, and tramples the rest with its feet.
In its horn, it kills priests and Levites, and ruins everything, desecrating a kingdom and its
ministers.
452) The pit is the evil female, Lilit, in her house, the prison. The evil maidservant kidnapped
the queen and her sons, Israel, in her exile, placed them under several chains, and imprisoned
her sons, their hands tied behind them, as it is written, “She dwells among the nations.”
Furthermore, “All who honored her despise her.”
453) The evil Klipa [shell] is a whore, flaring, fire, as it is written, “And He has kindled a fire
in Zion.” Afterwards came an evil man, a wicked one, a fourth to the primary torts, the
uncovering, of whom we learn, “A man forever fails, whether he is awake or whether he is
asleep.” “And lets his beast loose,” meaning his camps, and it eats, consumes, chops the
vineyards and orchards of Jerusalem, and destroys everything.
454) Master of the world, You are true and Your law is true. You have given us the Mitzva of
Tefillin, which, to the complete righteous, are rewards according to their actions, and are
stateliness on their heads. By that, they serve their father and mother, ZON, like the body
whose every organ serves the head. Similarly, the woman, the Malchut and the hand Tefillin,
serves her husband, ZA.
455) There are angels who serve the body, and angels who serve the soul. As is the difference
between the body and the soul, so is the difference between the angels of the body and the
angels of the soul.
Also, there is a soul to a soul, and angels to angels. These soul to a soul [Neshama to
Neshama] from Atzilut are all one; there is no separation among them. Allegorically, each
inferior degree in relation to its superior one is as a body toward a soul, since they receive
from one another. So is Divinity: Even though she corresponds to the rest of the lights in the
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world of Beria, she is as a body to a soul because they receive from one another. And so is
Divinity, even though she corresponds to the rest of the lights in the world of Beria, as a body
to a soul, in regard to the Creator, ZA, she is regarded as a body. However, here the body and
the soul are one. But in man, the body and the soul are separated—one is matter and one is
mind, one is life and one is death. But the Creator is life, and His Divinity is life, as it is
written, “She is a tree of life to them who hold her.”
Written in the Signs of the Creator and His Divinity
456) All who are written in the signs of the Creator and His Divinity, which—on weekdays—
are the letter of the Tefillin and the letter of a word, on the Sabbath they are written in
“Remember” and “Keep.” They are written in the written Torah, which was given from the
right, and in the oral Torah, which was given from the left.
The Creator is “Remember” on the right and “Keep” on the left. Divinity is remembering on
the right and keeping on the left. The head Tefillin are on the right, and the one of the hand is
on the left. Divinity is called “The perfect law of the Lord,” on the right, and the Mitzva is to
her left. This is so on the part of the middle pillar, ZA, which comprises Din and Rachamim,
“Remember” and “Keep,” and on whose part Malchut is called “remembering and keeping”
because from the perspective of the Mitzvot, she is on a par with him.
457) However, on the part of Hesed, the Creator is “Remember” and Divinity is “Keep.”
“Remember” is for the male, and “Keep” is for the bride because on the right and left from the
Chazeh and above of ZA, the branches part like the lobes of the lungs, which are separated
from above.
Opposite them are the animals: From Chazeh and below the Nukva is called Mitzva, and ZA
and Malchut are united. This is why they are considered equal. And as ZA is called
“Remember,” she is called “remembering” and “keeping.” But above the Chazeh, on the right
and on the left, Malchut is called only “Remember” and not “Keep.” This is the reason why in
the place of unification, the Guf [body], Malchut, she is similar to the spine of a palm branch:
If its leaves are breached or separated, it is disqualified.
458) The Creator wrote Israel in several places so they would be recognized by the angels.
Those of Israel who extend from the right depend on the Creator. Those on the left depend on
Divinity, or those who depend on the Creator and His Divinity in one unification. Those in
whom there is Torah are written on the right, Hesed; those in whom there is a Mitzva are
written on the left, Gevura, and those who own the Tefillin, the token of the Sabbath and the
token of the covenant, are written in Tzadik [righteous], Yesod.
459) Those of Israel who are beasts, uneducated, are written by removing the foreskin and the
exposing, which are the two purity marks. There are also two signs in fowls, in the maw and
in the peeled off gizzard. In removing the maw and the peel of the gizzard, they are written in
fowls for eating.
The beasts are in two signs, “ruminants” and “ungulates.” They are all written in two signs,
like the foreskin and the exposing, which are transferred from the holy people.
460) But the disciples of sages are all written above, in the throne, in Malchut, or in the
angels, in the four animals that carry the throne, or in the stars and signs, or in qualities or
Sefirot in which the Creator is known. Those who engage in Torah and Mitzvot for the Creator
and His Divinity not in order to be rewarded, but as a son who must keep the glory of his
father and mother, connect and register in the middle pillar—the Creator and His Divinity—as
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though they were one. And one in whom there is Torah without a Mitzva, or a Mitzva without
Torah, it is as though they are separated in him. But in the Torah and Mitzva, it is as a tree
whose branches part to the right and to the left, and the tree is the unification of the two of
them in the middle.
461) The wicked are written without purity marks, or have no Tefillin on the head and on the
arm, or are not written in Torah and Mitzvot, or do not keep “Remember” and “Keep,” and are
not written in the azure and white of the Tzitzit. Those who are not written in these signs are
abomination to you. They are not Israel but are nations of the land [a.k.a. uneducated]. As
those who have no purity marks are abomination and vermin, they, too, are abomination and
vermin, as we learn, “The nations of the land are abomination, and their wives are vermin.” It
is also written about their daughters, “Cursed is he who lies with a beast.”
462) Their death is death in exposure, and there is no death but poverty. Their death of
poverty will not be in secret, like fowls, who imply to keepers of Mitzvot, who cover their
blood, but rather openly, before the eyes of the people. It is so because a poor man is as
important as a dead one. There is poverty that is covered from the eyes of people, and there is
poverty in front of everyone, such as throwing the blood of a beast, whose throwing is in front
of everyone, meaning that the blood is spilled before everyone. So are the poor, whose blood
is spilled before them in the eyes of people and they become as green as dead.
463) And if they repent and do not open their mouths to throw matters upward, and their
death is by closing of the mouth, like a beast, who dies and has neither voice nor speech, in
their confession they will say, “I have no mouth with which to reply or a forehead to raise the
head.” He will confess and make unifications to the Creator each day and take upon himself
that his death will be in one, such as the slaughtering of a beast in twelve examinations of the
slaughtering knife, which are thirteen with the knife itself, and count as one.
464) He blesses and sanctifies the Creator each day in his blessing and sanctity, and in each
eating and drinking of his, as the priest—Hesed—blesses, “Blessed are You”—blessing—
“Who sanctified us”—sanctification. When the spirit blesses the Creator each day with
“Bless,” sanctifies with sanctity, and unites in the unification of His Divinity, the Creator
comes down on the spirit in several camps.
A Spirit that Ascends and Descends Each Night
465) Moses said to Elijah: “Elijah, even an ordinary person who blesses, sanctifies, and
unifies the queen has several camps of the queen rising with him, and camps of the King
come down upon him. And they are all to keep him and to inform that spirit of several
innovations and futures in a dream of prophecy, and several secrets. It is like Jacob, of whom
it is written, “And behold the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” Also, it is
written about the camps of the King and the queen, “And he called the name of that place
Mahanaim [two camps].” However, the King and the queen themselves do not come down
there, unlike the one who repents—the Creator Himself comes down on his spirit.
466) So it is, but in each Mitzva there was your effort to unite the Creator and His Divinity in
all the camps above and below, the Creator in His Divinity, and all His camps above and
below unite in your spirit in each Mitzva like a prince whose father and mother love him and
kiss him. And for their love, they do not believe their camps but guard him themselves.
467) Your spirit [Ruach] is from the side of the middle pillar, ZA, the letter Vav that
comprises AVI, which are Yod-Hey. Your soul [Nefesh] is an only daughter on the part of the
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letter Hey. The lower Divinity, Malchut, does not move from you. And as AVI [father and
mother] keep the son, ZA, they also keep the daughter, Malchut, in the upper camps, which
are Mahanaim.” Your Ruach is raised in the upper thought, Hochma, as we learn that Israel
came up in the thought, which is Yod He Vav He. Your spirit comes up in the thought when
he is complete. It is written about him, “The whole of the soul will praise Koh [the Lord],”
and in that Nefesh [soul], which is the Hey de HaVaYaH, where the Nefesh ascends along with
the Ruach.
468) “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Come wind from the four winds.’” If he consists of four
winds, he is called Ruach HaVaYaH. Ruach HaVaYaH is Ruach HB, a spirit of counsel and
might, a spirit of knowledge and the fear of God. And if he is whole with four letters
HaVaYaH, he ascends in thought, Hochma, and the Cause of Causes crowns him with a
crown. In all this glory, your spirit ascends and descends each night, and all the things that
appeared to you in Hesed, of which it is written, “And you who cleave unto the Lord your
God are alive everyone of you.” You, and not the nations of the world. This is why it is
written, “He who sacrifices unto a god other than the Lord alone shall be ostracized.”
469) Happy is the holy nation, which is called “the flock of the Creator,” to offer themselves
as sacrifice before Him, as it is written, “But for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are
considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” They sacrifice themselves as sheep that are fasting,
since the scantiness of milk and blood of the fasting is more important than a sacrifice of
beasts, from which the blood and milk were diminishing. And all those inner parts and fat of
the offerings were burning all through the night.
470) Happy are those who sacrifice their spirits as offering before the Creator. Each night,
when their spirits rise to Him, if he ascends in Torah and Mitzva, in the Torah, which is the
ten commandments that were given by the Yod of HaVaYaH—since the number, ten
commandments, is from the two letters Hey of HaVaYaH, which are ten in Gematria. In Vav
de HaVaYaH, six are the Five Books of Moses with the book Genesis. The five are the ones
called “Five Books of Moses,” and he considers the two verses “And it came to pass when the
ark set out...” “And when it came to rest...” as a book in itself. Also, there are five books from
Exodus onward, and the sixth book is called Beresheet [Genesis]. If it appears in the thought,
which is Yod He Vav He, in GAR, in which we learn, “Israel appeared in the thought,” and
rose to Keter, where the Cause of Causes is wonderful and covered.
471) Happy is one who ascends in the Mitzvot of Tefillin, in which there are four portions, in
which there is the name HaVaYaH. Yod de HaVaYaH is “Sanctify unto Me.” Hey de
HaVaYaH is “And it shall be when the Lord brings you.” Vav de HaVaYaH is “Hear O
Israel.” The bottom Hey de HaVaYaH is “And it shall come to pass that if you listen.” These
are in thought, in GAR, in the Rosh.
Tying the thought to the hand, Divinity, is the hand Tefillin, since Divinity consists of act and
speech, of six Sefirot and of thought. She consists of an act, which is the letter Hey, her
Malchut, from speech, her Bina, from six Sefirot, her Tifferet, and from a thought, Yod He
Vav He HaVaYaH. These are the fourteen letters, as the count of Yad [Yod-Dalet, “hand,” 14
in Gematria], which are her GAR. These Yod-Dalet are implied in four portions and in one
box of the hand Tefillin, and in two straps, thus seven. And the two letters Shin on the right
and on the left of the box of the Tefillin are nine. With the knot of the strap they are ten, and
with the four portions in the hand Tefillin they are fourteen. This is why Divinity is called “the
hand of the Lord [HaVaYaH].”
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472) “In Your hand I commit my spirit.” The spirit [Ruach] is committed in her for
HaVaYaH, and the Creator comes down to him to receive him in the place of Divinity, and
the Creator and His Divinity keep him. This causes that in each and every Mitzva, he elevates
Divinity to the Creator.
473) The seventy words in the psalm, “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble,”
which imply to the seventy voices that the woman who is in labor pangs makes, seventy
voices that Divinity gives, from the affliction of Israel before the redemption. That time is a
day of trouble. And why does she cry out? Indeed, there are those in Israel who are proficient
in the Torah, and kings on the part of the morning star, Divinity. These are two degrees:
morning, and morning star. It is written about them, “In Your right hand there are pleasures
forever.” Morning, which is Abraham’s, Hesed, rises more on the day of redemption itself.
But the morning star, Netzah, precedes the day of redemption, and Divinity on its part is
called “the morning star.”
474) This is why “For the Leader,” written before “May the Lord answer you in the day of
trouble” contains Netzah and contains Lamed-Mem, since “For the Leader” [LaMenatzeah],
comprises the letters Lamed-Mem Netzah. Netzah is the dominion of the morning star, which
is Netzah. Lamed-Mem is Ayin [70] in Gematria, the seventy voices that the morning star
cries out over her sons when darkness grows strong over them in exile, the darkness of the
dawn in the last seventy years. At that time the verse, “As the pregnant woman approaches the
time to give birth, she writhes and cries out in her labor pains, thus were we before You, O
Lord,” will come true in Israel. For this reason, because Divinity is in pain with us, we hope
unto You, the Lord our God that you will redeem us.
Two Messiahs
475) In seventy voices does the doe, Divinity, place her head between her knees. Her head is
the righteous, foundation of the world. Between her knees means NH, and he swears to her in
the righteous to redeem her children in the morning, which is a lion, Hesed. The morning is
Abraham’s right, Hesed, Messiah Son of David, who comes out of Judah. It is written about
him, “Judah is a lion’s cub.” This is why it is written, “As the Lord lives, lie down until the
morning,” until the arrival of the Messiah Son of David, a lion—morning, light of Hesed.
476) In it, “Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,” since Tifferet, the
degree of Moses, Guf, includes the six Sefirot HGT NHY, and Hesed is his right arm. Moses
connects to the name AB, Hesed, Abraham’s degree. It is so because AB (72) calculates as
four times Hay (18) [Het-Yod, “living”]. Hay calculates as three times six, Vav, which are the
acronym of the three verses “And journeyed,” “And came,” “And pitched.” This is the name
AB in the three primary branches, HGT.
“And journeyed” is Hesed, “And came” is Gevura, and “And pitched” is Tifferet. They are
three times Hay that were tied to Moses’ Shin, in which there are also three branches, three
faces: lion, ox, and eagle. It is written about them, “All four had the face of a lion on the right,
and all four had the face of an ox on the left, and the four had the face of an eagle,” which are
HGT. MA from Moses is “Each had the face of a man,” Malchut, since Adam [man] is MA in
Gematria (45). This is the fourth Hay [living], “As the Lord lives, lie down until the
morning,” where through the morning light, the fourth Hay, Malchut, would be
complemented, and complementing the name AB, which includes the four times Hay in the
four faces of the Merkava [chariot/assembly], implied in Moses’ Shin and in Moses’ MA.
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477) In the left arm, Gevura, we learn, “The left rejects and the right draws closer.” Even
though he moved the time of redemption earlier, to the month of Tishrey, since Tishrey is the
left of the months, it will postpone the redemption so that Messiah Son of Ephraim will not
die in the Dinim of the left.
Messiah Son of Ephraim is an incarnation of Jeroboam, of whom there are complaints
because he sinned and made the public sinners. This is why he delayed it from Tishrey, left,
until the right, Pesach [Passover] would approach, meaning the right arm, Hesed. At that time
they will be redeemed, to keep the verse, “As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will
show him wonders.” They were redeemed in Nissan, and they are destined to be redeemed in
Nissan, “‘And with superior grace I will have compassion over you,’ says the Lord your
Redeemer.”
478) Afterwards, they all take from Gevura, from whom comes Messiah Son of Ephraim,
who comes to avenge his enemies, for so should the crop—which is Israel, in the right—be
cleaned first, and then to burn the straw in the left. It is written about it, “Then the house of
Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame, but the house of Esau will be as stubble.
And they will set them on fire and consume them.” The gathering of the crop is in the middle
pillar, in which it is written, “And was gathered,” meaning gathered into the house, to
Divinity.
479) However, in the degree of Messiah Son of Joseph, it is written, “Now this horde will lick
up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Messiah Son of Joseph is
called “an ox.” It is written about them, “When wicked flourish like grass.” Redemption will
be from Passover to Tishrey, which is called “until.” From then on will be their ruin, until the
arrival of Tishrey, which is an ox, and in it, “As the ox licks up the grass” will come true.
480) During the exile Israel is supported by the right, which is a lion, Hesed. But their rising,
redemption, is in the body of the tree, ZA, as we learn, “All who kneel, kneel in ‘Blessed,’”
which is Tzadik, Yesod, as it is written about the righteous Joseph, “And behold, your sheaves
gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” This is the meaning of “As the Lord lives, lie
down until the morning,” as since they are considered kneeling and lying, they need support
in Hassadim from Yesod, and all who arise, arise in the name, in the degree of Moses above,
meaning Daat, and Moses below, meaning Tifferet. In him will all of Israel rise as the organs
of the body, in which all are upright when he stands. By that, “All who arise, arise in the
name.” It is written about it, “And I have known you by name.”
481) Messiah Son of David, a lion, Hesed, will be to the right of Moses; Messiah Son of
Joseph, an ox, Gevura, to his left; and they are three lines. On the right is Abraham, Hesed; on
the left is Isaac, Gevura; and Moses, an eagle, Tifferet, is in the middle. Their chain, meaning
the three lines, which are called “chain,” is from the side of Jacob, which are the three lines
included in Jacob, Tifferet. Also, they are the Shin of Moses, which implies to the three lines
included in Moses, the middle line, Daat.
They will triple the Kedusha [holiness] for you, meaning that each line consists of the three of
them. On the part of the lion, Hesed, there are three faces of the patriarchs, HGT, and all three
are called “lions.” The morning is from the three faces included in the left, and all three are
called “goring bulls.” The three faces included in the middle pillar—Moses and Jacob—are
called “eagles.” It is written about them, “And I bore you on wings of eagles, and I brought
you to Me.”
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It follows that the three lines are nine, where each consists of three, and the tenth, or the
fourth to the three general lines, is man, who is MA in the name, Moses, who rides on the
three animals, lion, ox, and eagle. These are the three branches of the Shin in Moses’ name.
482) It is written about Israel, “And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,” meaning
the appointees at sea on the part of the serpent, Egypt’s minister who expanded in the last
exile “From sea to sea.” “And over the fowl of the air” means evil mixture, from giant
Amaleks, a mixture of all the nations in the last exile, on each side—whether in Israel,
whether in Ishmael, or whether in Esau. “And over the beast” are the sons of Esau, who
govern the whole earth.
483) And the verse, “May he also rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the
earth,” will come true in the Messiah. So it is in the two Messiahs and so it is in Israel. It is all
by merit of Moses’ MA, the face of a man. And the banner of the Messiah Son of David will
come from Yehuda with a lion inscribed on it, and the banner of the Messiah Son of Joseph
with an ox is inscribed on it, and the banner of Shiloh, who is Moses, which is Shiloh in
Gematria.
A lion is to the right, an ox to the left, and an eagle in the middle, since Moses is the eagle, the
middle line that comprises right and left. Man is above all of them, for in each of the three
faces a man is included in it. There are four faces to each of the three animals, four tribes, in
each of which are three animals—lion, ox, and eagle—which are twelve. With the face of a
man, whose name is MA because man [Adam] is MA in Gematria, they will be Moses’ sons,
so that “And I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they” will come true in
Moses. Then MA [that which] was is what will be. Moses, a redeemer in Egypt, is a redeemer
for the future. Also, “That which is to be has already been,” for the two Messiahs, Son of
Joseph and the Son of David have already been because there were already Joseph and David.
484) “For God seeks what has been pursued,” Israel, of whom it is written, “And you are My
sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men,” since they were pursued by the mixed
multitude, the evil wolves. Thus, “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,” he preys on them. And at
that time, “In the morning he devours the prey” until Shiloh comes, meaning Moses. The
morning means Abraham’s morning, Hesed. In the morning, when the great Hesed appears,
the prey will appear, Moses. “And in the evening he divides the spoil,” meaning the evening
of Isaac, Malchut that is built from the left line, where there are the two Messiahs—on her
right is the Messiah Son of David, and on her left is the Messiah Son of Joseph. In one, he
will eat and destroy the appointees of the nations of the world, from the house of Joseph, and
in one he will dispense them to Israel, who are from the house of David.
485) Israel are a doe being chased by the wicked, who are lions. Naphtali, who is “A doe let
loose; he gives beautiful words,” will awaken. He will awaken in the right, lion, the Messiah
Son of David, as it is written, “Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone
up,” and will return on the nations of the world. “He crouches, he lies down” to prey on them.
“Who will rouse him?” “Who” is another god that at that time will rouse him and not let him
prey on them, or a nation and a tongue that can rouse him off preying on them.
486) Israel are as a dove that is hunted by the eagle, who is from the side of the birds of the
nations of the world. At that time, the eagle of Kedusha [holiness] will awaken and spread his
wings on the mixture of the nations and Esau and Ishmael, who are Amaleks and the evil
mixture of Israel. He will devour them, and none of them will remain, to keep what is written
about Israel: “The Lord alone guided him and there was no foreign god with him.”
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487) Henceforth, they do not accept foreigners, as we learn that no foreigners are accepted in
the days of the Messiah, and the Creator will arouse an animal of a man to govern the nations
of the world that will remain. It is so to keep in them the verse, “For the nation and the
kingdom that will not serve You will perish,” and to keep in Israel, “And let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the beast.” “And the
fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth.”
488) On the part of the crops, there are five kinds of bread that are more ground than all of
them by threshing and grinding. These are wheat, barley, buckwheat, oats, and rye. He
compared them to Israel, as it is written, “Israel are holiness to the Lord, the first of His
harvest.” It writes “His harvest” with a Hey [instead of the usual Vav], indicating five kinds of
bread. When Israel come out of the exile they will be broken until the food is sorted from the
waste, the straw, which is the mixed multitude, until Israel among them are sorted and
recognized, when they have been sorted from the chaff and straw.
489) And until the Yod in the name HaVaYaH—which implies to the tithing—is sorted from
them, He will not be on the Hey de HaVaYaH, which indicates the bread of five kinds, to keep
the oath, “The hand upon the throne of the Lord,” which he swore, for the Name is incomplete
and the throne is incomplete before the seed of Amalek is destroyed. Hence, there is no
obligation to tithe chaff and straw until they are sorted.
After Israel are sorted, they gather unto a place called “Jerusalem,” like the wheat, which is
placed in the treasury once the straw and chaff have been sorted from it. Similarly, Israel will
gather, meaning the crop, unto Jerusalem, which is built on the mountain of the Lord, and of
which it is written, “Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord, and who shall stand in
His holy place? He who has clean hands.” Clean means like grains, a harvest after he sorted
the food from the waste. “Kiss the grain,” as before, in which it is written, “Will kiss me from
the kiss of his mouth.” “Grain” means a son, for at that time they will already be cleansed
from straw and chaff, His name will be on them, and He will call them, “My son, My
firstborn, Israel.”
490) Thus, of all the trees, there is no tree as broken as the vine. It is broken in its planting,
for it has no strength to stand, but lies on the ground. It is broken in its grapes, which are
crushed under the feet. And so is the olive; its olives are crushed.
In the exile, Israel are akin to them, as it is written, “You removed a vine from Egypt.” Also,
it is written of the fourth exile, “For the house of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of hosts.
Similarly, Israel are akin to an olive, as it is written, “A fresh olive tree, beautiful in fruit and
form.” This is why it is written, “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house,
your sons as olive plants,” close to one another since Israel are as broken as they are in the
exile.
491) And once the grapes and the olives are cleaned from any waste, they will be sanctified to
the Temple—wine for pouring on the altar—and olives to light the candles of the Menorah.
Wine that is not poured for idol worship is rewarded with this, since the mixed multitude are
wine that was poured for idol worship, and of those, various infidels are converted, converted
into transgressions in the whole of the Torah.
492) It is written about Israel that they will mingle with the nations and learn their works. And
until they are stamped on by their feet in exile they will not be sorted out from among them. It
is about them that David said, “Why should I fear in days of adversity, the iniquity of my foes
surrounds me.” Solomon said about them, “Go now by the footsteps of the flock,” by the
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footsteps of the letters in Jacob, of whom it is written in regard to the primordial serpent who
seduced Eve, “He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” After
they went out of the exile they were akin to apples and to any good fragrance, as in the exodus
from Egypt, where it is written about them, “Under the apple tree I woke you.”
Concerning Tithing
493) The subsequent Mitzva is to bring the first fruit, and then to give thanks for the first fruit,
and then to give thanks for the tithing. The authors of the Mishnah wish to understand in
regard to the tithing: If he gives tithing before he gathers, should he give tithing when it is
ripe or does he give after he collects. It is like a citron, of which they said, “In a tree, follow
the ripening.” And some say that with a citron you follow the ripening of the fruits because a
citron somewhat resembles a tree and somewhat resembles a grain, which are seeds, of which
it is said that its tithing is after gathering it, not as the tree, but after it has fully ripened, after
it is collected, as with seeds.
494) Because they established the blessing of “Who brings forth” from the place where the
ripening is done, with the exception of burnt bread, but rather from a place that is tasteful for
him, so it is with grains, you follow its gathering, for then it is as ripened fruit and is tasty.
495) Israel are compared to a tree and to crop, like a citron to a tree, of which it is written,
“You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God.” And
also, “You shall give him ... the first shearing of your sheep.” This implies to Israel, of whom
it is written, “You are My sheep.” Similarly, Israel are akin to grain, of which it is written,
“Israel are holiness to the Lord, the first of His harvest.” Hence, he gives tithing after he is
gathered from the exile, for then they are considered holy to the Creator.
496) Israel are called “a great and strong tree, in which there is food for all.” The Torah is in
it, meaning food above, from ZA, the prayer is in it, meaning food below, from Nukva. Even
the angels have food only through Israel, for if Israel had not engaged in Torah, food from the
Torah would not have come down for them. She is as a tree, as it is written, “She is a tree of
life to they who hold her.” And on the part of the fruit of the Torah, which is a Mitzva.
497) The Torah is akin to water and to fire. Water would not come down from above, and the
sun, which is fire, would not come down to ripen the fruits of the tree, but only by Israel’s
merit. This is why it is written about Israel, “The fig tree has ripened its figs,” which are they
who keep the Mitzvot, “And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance,” when they
begin with repentance. At that time, it is immediately written about Israel, “Arise my wife,
my beautiful one, and go away” from the exile.
498) This is the reason why in the tree—the tree of life, the Torah, ZA, those who engage in
Torah follow the ripening right at the beginning of the engagement and tithe them, since the
Yod, Hochma, is on them, hence they tithe one out of ten. And in it they gather from the exile,
the bottom Hey of HaVaYaH, Israel, the fruits of the tree, the Torah. The tree, the letter Vav,
is ZA, the Torah. But the rest of the people give tithing after it is collected from the exile.
Yet, in regard to the righteous, it is written, “And you shall take you on the first day the fruit
of a citrus tree,” who dwells in the actions that are gripped and done by the keepers of Torah
and Mitzvot, in whom there are those who follow the ripening as a tree. Hence, it is written
about them on the first day that they do not need to wait for the hour of gathering from the
exile.
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499) Vegetables have a way of growing over any water. Their tithing is while collecting them.
Similarly, a citron grows on any water. Israel are like a citron—they grow on any water—
since on the part of Hochma there is no water but Torah. A citron is equal to a tree in three
ways. A citron is Malchut, gripped on two sides, HG, two ways, and a third way is that a
citron has the shape of the heart: it is gripped above, the heart sees, Hochma, vision. It is also
gripped below, in Daat, meaning that the heart knows. Daat is a tree, the interior of ZA. Torah
is Guf de ZA, a fruit of the Daat that expands from the Daat. Eyes are Mitzvot, and in them
the heart sees.
You Shall Be Holy Men unto Me
500) Happy are Israel, whom the Creator wishes to honor more than all the people in the
world. In the beginning, He said to them, “And you will be unto Me, a kingdom of priests.”
The great love was not removed from them until He called them “A holy nation,” which is
more important. The love was not removed from them until He called them “For you are a
holy nation.” The love was not removed from them until He called them, “You shall be holy
men unto Me,” which is more important than anything.
501) The Torah emerged from the place called “holiness,” Hochma. Hochma emerged from
the place called “Holy of Holies,” Keter. Likewise, Yovel, Bina, is called “holiness.” Israel
consist of HB.
502) In the beginning, the Creator called them “holy,” and now He calls them “holiness.”
Holiness is up above in HB, and holy is the Malchut, in Zion and Jerusalem, which is
Malchut, who is called “holy.”
503) “And you shall be holy men unto Me,” Hochma, as it is written, “Israel are holiness to
the Lord, the first of His harvest.” Beginning is called Hochma, as it is written, “Fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
504) Because Israel are called “holiness,” which is the entire perfection, it is written, “And
you shall not eat flesh in a non kosher field,” since Israel, who are more whole than everyone,
do not suckle from the side of the harsh Din, to which non kosher implies. “You shall throw it
to the dog,” which is an insolent Din, a stronger Din than all. Because there is a strong Din
over the non kosher meat and he cast filth in it, it is forbidden for those who are called “holy”
to eat from it, as it is written, “And you shall be holy men unto Me, and you shall not eat flesh
in a non kosher field.” The text ties the prohibition on non kosher meat to men of holiness.
Rather, “You shall throw it to the dog,” indeed, for it is insolent and a stronger Din than
anything, as it is written, “And the dogs are insolent.”
505) When a carcass is mentioned in the Torah, it is written about Israel “holy” and not
“holiness.” And here with the non kosher meat it writes, “And you shall be holy men unto
Me, and you shall not eat flesh in a non kosher field.” It is written in regard to the carcass,
“You shall not eat any carcass,” for you are a holy nation. It writes “holy” and not “holiness,”
since the carcass was made on the part of Israel, by slaughtering. It follows that it was Israel
who made it non kosher, hence the Din is not so strong. However, with non kosher meat that
was made non kosher by evil animals, the Din is harsh. This is why abstention from non
kosher meat is called “holiness” and from a carcass is called “holy.”
506) “And you shall be holy men unto Me.” It is written, “For you are a holy nation to the
Lord your God.” Why does it say, “To the Lord your God,” and does not say, “To Me”? Here
it is up above, in HB, and there it is in Divinity, Malchut. This is why it is written, “To the
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Lord your God,” Malchut. In Malchut, which is called “Zion” and “Jerusalem,” it is holy, and
above in HB—holiness. And it writes, “Israel are holiness to the Lord, the first of His
harvest,” with an extra letter Hey, Bina, the first Hey of HaVaYaH, and beginning is Hochma.
507) “Israel are holiness to the Lord.” The end of the verse is “All who ate of it became
guilty.” It is written, “But if a man eats a holy gift unintentionally,” and “No foreigner is to
eat the holy gift.” And because Israel are called “holy,” it is written, “All who ate of it became
guilty.”
508) “Holiness” is superior to “holy.” But is written, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts,”
which is the perfection of everything. When the three “holies” join together they become one
house, holiness, containing all three holies. This is why it is the perfection of everything, and
this is why holy is a whole in which everything is included. And when complete faith is
included in Israel, they are called “holy,” the whole of everything, as it is written, “Israel are
holiness to the Lord.” This is why it is written, “And you shall be holy men unto Me.”
509) It is written, “And you shall not eat flesh in a non kosher field.” Hence, why does it say,
“He gives prey to those who fear Him”? It should have written, “He has given prey to the
dogs.” Why did He give to those who fear Him? However, He did not give non kosher meat
to those who fear Him. It writes “prey,” which means food. And even if you say that prey
[Teref] is like non kosher meat [Trefa], He certainly gave to those who fear Him, so they
would beware of it and would not eat it. “To those who fear Him,” since only those who fear
His name can beware, since they fear Him. This is why this matter was not given to you, since
He knew that you do not fear Him or keep His Mitzvot. And because this is among the hardest
things in the Torah, and requires care, He gave it to those who fear Him, and not to others. He
has given all the hard things in the Torah only to those who fear sin, to those who are fearful
about keeping His commandments.
510) “And you shall be holy men unto Me.” It would be enough to say, “You shall be holy
unto Me.” It is holy men since Israel came out to freedom only from the Yovel, Bina. And
after they went out to freedom, Yovel welcomed them with His wings and they are called “His
men,” “His sons.” It is written about the Yovel, “Yovel shall be holy unto you.” This is why it
is written, “And you shall be holy men unto Me,” actually His men.
511) The Creator said, “And you shall be holy men unto Me.” This is why Israel were
rewarded with being named “brothers of the Creator,” as it is written, “For the sake of My
brothers and friends,” since Israel are sons of the Yovel, Bina, and ZA is also the son of Bina.
It follows that they are brothers of ZA. Afterwards, they are actually called “holiness,” as it is
written, “Israel are holiness to the Lord, the first of His harvest.” It writes “holiness,” and not
“men of holiness.” Because of it, “All who ate of it became guilty,” as it is written, “No
foreigner is to eat the holy gift,” and “But if a man eats a holy gift unintentionally.”
512) Israel are called “holiness.” Because they are holiness, one is forbidden to call one’s
friend by a derogatory name or give a nickname to one’s friend. Indeed, his punishment is
grave. It is especially so with other things. It is written, “Hold your tongue from evil,” since it
is because of slander that diseases come down to the world.
513) Anyone who names his friend by a name that is not in him and despises him is caught
into judgment for what is not in him. Anyone who calls his friend “wicked” is brought down
to Hell and is struck on his cheeks. An exception are those insolent ones on the Torah, which
are permitted for people to call them “wicked.”
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514) One man was cursing his friend. Rabbi Yissa told him, “You acted as a wicked.” He
came before Rabbi Yehuda to be judged. He told him, “I did not say that he was wicked, but
that he was as a wicked, that his actions appeared as those of a wicked one.” Rabbi Yehuda
came and asked Rabbi Elazar about the incident. He told him, “Of course he is not guilty
because it is written ‘The Lord was as an enemy,’ and not ‘An enemy.’ Otherwise, none of the
race of Israel would remain in the world. Likewise, ‘She was as a widow,’ and not ‘A
widow.’ As a widow means that her husband went overseas and she is awaiting him, and
being alone, without her husband makes her seem as a widow.”
515) This is the reason for the prohibition on statues and images, as it is written, “And upon
the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man.” As the appearance is not
like “An appearance.” It is also written, “As an apple in the trees of the forest.” “As an apple,”
and not “An apple.” As an apple that is recognized by its colors, and in the colors, the matter
is unified because the unification of the Creator is in three lines—white, red, and green—as it
is in an apple—Hesed, Din, and Rachamim.
516) “And he that stumbles among them on that day shall be as David,” only “As David,” and
not “David.” “As David,” who said, “And behold, in my poverty I have prepared for the
house of the Lord.” It is also written, “For I am afflicted and needy,” and he was the king of
kings and called himself that way. Happy are Israel whom the Creator did not call “as
holiness,” but “holiness” indeed, as it is written, “Israel are holiness to the Lord.” For this
reason, “All who ate of it became guilty,” like a foreigner who eats the holy gift.
Administer Justice in the Morning
517) Why did the Creator see fit to give the Dinim to Israel, meaning the portion Mishpatim
[Ordinances], after the ten commandments? The Torah was given to Israel from the side of
Gevura. For this reason, they must establish peace among them through judgments and
ordinances, so that the Torah will be kept on all its sides. The world exists only on Din, for
without the Din it would not exist. And for this reason, the world was created in Din and
exists.
518) It is written, “Administer justice in the morning.” Is it only for the morning and not the
entire day? “In the morning” means until the judges eat and drink, for anyone who sentences
after he has eaten and drank, it is not a true judgment, as it is written, “You shall not eat with
the blood.” This is a warning for judges not to eat prior to judging, for anyone who judges
after he has eaten and drank, it is as though he convicts his friend’s blood and gives him to
another, since he actually gives his blood to another by false judgment.
It is so with regard to money, and it is even more so with regard to capital offences. The
judges must be careful to judge only before they have eaten and drank. It is written about that,
“Administer justice in the morning,” and also, “I am the Lord who exercises mercy, justice,
and righteousness on earth.”
519) One who lies in judging lies in the corrections of the King. The corrections of the King
are those of which it is written, “Who exercises mercy, justice and righteousness on earth.” It
is also written, “‘For I delight in these things,’ declares the Lord.” Everything, mercy, justice,
and righteousness depend on one another. These are the corrections of the throne, Malchut, as
it is written, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne,” and it is written,
“A throne will even be established in mercy.”
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The Rooms of the Tabernacle
520) The Rosh of the King is established in HG.
GAR, HBD, are called Rosh. The King is ZA. Because HBD are not permanent in ZA, but only
during prayer, on appointed days, and on Sabbaths, they are not regarded as HB but as HG,
VAK. This is the big difference between AA—whose GAR is permanent and they are actual
GAR, entirely Rachamim—and ZA—whose GAR are not permanent. For this reason, even
when he has GAR, HBD, they are regarded as HGT and there are Dinim in them.
Also, The Zohar does not consider Tifferet either because even in AA, Daat is considered
Rosh. Rather, Tifferet rose to the Rosh and decided between HB, and for this reason was
discerned as Rosh. This is why there is no initiation in it.
From this Rosh de ZA, hair hangs down, hairs over hairs. These are all the extensions by
which upper degrees and lower ones unite. Through them, the lower degree rises to the upper
one and they become one. The masters of the masters are drawn out of the hairs, the true ones,
who are weighty, who sigh and cry, the litigators, the merciful, the flavors of Torah, the
secrets of Torah, purities, and impurities. All are called “the hairs of the King,” meaning
extensions that extend from the holy King. And everything comes down form the hidden Atik,
AA.
In the first degree, the bottom Hey rose to NE and ended the degree there, and the AHP fell
from it to the degree below it, which is Tzimtzum Bet [second restriction]. This is the degree
of Rosh de SAG de AK. However, no change at all took place in Rosh de SAG itself. Rather, a
new degree of ten Sefirot emerged and hung down the ten Sefirot of Rosh de SAG de AK. It is
called “Partzuf Se’arot [hairs] of Rosh de SAG,” and the part that remained in the degree—
GE and NE—are called “Se’arot Rosh [hairs of the head].” The part that came out of the
degree of Rosh de SAG, which are AHP that fell to the degree below it, to GAR de Nekudim, is
called “Se’arot Dikna [beard hair] of Rosh de SAG.
In the world of Tikkun [correction], the Partzuf Se’arot hangs down Rosh AA, whose AHP,
which are Se’arot Dikna, fell to the degree below it, AVI, which are clothed there during
Katnut. During Gadlut, when a Zivug de AB SAG de AK is done, lowering the bottom Hey
from the sides of Rosh de SAG de AK to the Sium [end] of its Dikna, the Dikna de SAG rises
and bonds with the Se’arot of the Rosh into one degree. At that time, the bottom Hey
descends from the sides of the Rosh de AA to the Sium of its Dikna, and Dikna de AA returns
and rises to Se’arot Rosh de AA, and bonds with him into one degree.
Upon its return, it raises AVI along with it to Rosh AA, where they receive from HS [Hochma
Stimaa] de AA. After the ascent of Dikna with AVI to Rosh AA, all the half-degrees below
them—that fell to the degrees below them—are drawn after them and rise back to their
degrees. Thus, each lower degree—which during Katnut had the AHP from the upper one—
rises with these AHP to the upper one, as well.
This is so because YESHSUT rise to AVI through AHP de AVI, where they were in Katnut.
Also, ZON rise to YESHSUT through AHP de YESHSUT, where they were in Katnut, and the
souls of the righteous rise to ZON through AHP de ZON, where they were during the Katnut.
Thus, each ascent of the lower one to the upper one in order to unite into one with it is done
through Se’arot Dikna de AA that raised AVI to Rosh de AA, after which comes the ascent of
each lower to the upper.
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The Se’arot are the whole extension by which the upper degrees and lower degrees unite into
one, since through them, each inferior degree rises to its superior. Thus, AVI rise to AA,
YESHSUT to AVI, ZON to YESHSUT, and the souls of the righteous to ZON.
All the Mochin of Atzilut and BYA, Katnut and Gadlut, emerge from Partzuf Se’arot in Rosh
AA. The degrees of the souls of the righteous extend from Partzuf Se’arot on Rosh ZA. The
masters of masters extend from them, the degree of GAR de GAR, Hochma, as well as the true
ones, Bina, the weighty, Daat, the middle line, which weighs the illumination of right and left
so they can shine together, and the sighing and the crying, who are dominated by the left line
without right, from which harsh Dinim are extended. All who are attached to it weep and wail,
and they are called “the sighing” and “the crying.”
They are also called “litigators.” When the middle line unites the left with the right, the
merciful ones come out of the middle line. And likewise with the flavors of Torah, as it is
written, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” and the secrets of the Torah. During Gadlut,
purity extends from them, and during Katnut, Tuma’a [impurity] extends from them. They are
all regarded as the King’s hair, extensions that are drawn from the holy King, since all the
kinds of extensions from ZA come from his Se’arot. Se’arot Rosh de AA are the root of
Se’arot Rosh ZA.
521) The Metzah [forehead] of ZA is counting of the wicked. When their works are counted
and their iniquity disclosed, it is called “Metzah of the King.” Gevura increases in her Dinim
and spreads on her side, and this differs from the Metzah of the holy Atik, which is called
Ratzon [desire].
The two Awznayim [ears], upper AVI, are GAR de Bina. Metzah is Daat, which mates AVI,
since there the Masach is established from the Yod, Malchut, which rose to the light of Bina
and diminished it into Avir, light of Hassadim. AVI mate on this Masach of the Yod inside the
Metzah in a great and very wonderful Zivug to impart light of Hassadim upon all the worlds.
This Zivug does not stop and there is none like it in another degree. Therefore, the Yod never
comes down from the Avir de AVI, for if it did, this great and wonderful Zivug would stop.
It is written, “Because He desires mercy [Hesed].” “Because He” is Bina, desires the great
Zivug to impart Hassadim, and does not desire the Yod to come down from her Avir and to
give light of Hochma. This is why Metzah de AA is called Metzah of the Ratzon, since the
Dinim in the Yod that rose there were established as a Masach that mates upper AVI due to the
desire to bestow upon the worlds from the light of Hassadim that extends from the Zivug of
upper AVI that does not stop.
However, when the Metzah of ZA does not receive from Metzah de AA, the great Zivug of
upper AVI on the Dinim of the Yod that entered the light of Bina is absent there, and this
Masach of Yod serves only to punish the wicked who have sinned so they do not enjoy the
light of Hochma. For this reason, she entered the light and diminished into Avir.
When the iniquities of the lower ones have been disclosed and they are unfit for reception of
light of Hochma, the Metzah of the King serves to take this light away from them through the
ascension of the Yod to the light that is there, diminishing it into Avir. The Gevura intensifies
in her Dinim, to sentence the wicked, and spreads on her side so the Din spreads out to make
the light disappear from the wicked and to punish them.
In the Metzah of Atik, who is AA, this Masach is set up in his Metzah to mate upper AVI in a
never ending Zivug. Hence, when the Yod that rose into the light that is there became a
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Masach, it is highly desirable because the great Zivug of upper AVI was made on her, and this
is why it is called Metzah of the Ratzon.
522) The King’s eyes, meaning the watching over everyone, watching over upper and over
lower, and all the guards of the King are called “eyes.” In the eyes, the colors white, red, and
green unite, and all the King’s guards are called by these colors, each according to his
manner. And all of them are called “the colors of the eyes.
As the King’s guarding appears, so the colors awaken. Supervision of Hesed is white, Din is
red, and Rachamim is green. Supervision is Hochma, since supervision is from the light of
Hochma, as it is written, “You have made them all in wisdom.” Eyes are the supervision,
Hochma, and the three colors of the eyes are three lines, since Hochma appears only over all
of them together. For this reason, a color is special supervision, as it is part of Hochma.
523) The eyebrows are called “the place that gives supervision to all the colors of the guards.”
These brows, in regard to what is below, in regard to the eyes, are brows, to look and to
extend from the river that stretches out, Bina. It is a place to draw from the river, to bathe in
the whiteness of Atik, the light of Hassadim, the milk that extends from Ima. It is so because
when the Gevura—left line—spreads, and the eyes, Hochma, are blazing in red from all the
Dinim because she is Hochma without Hassadim, the holy Atik, Keter, shines his whiteness,
the light of Hassadim, and blazes in Ima, in upper AVI. And then she is filled with milk, light
of Hassadim, which she received from Keter, and nurses those eyes. Then all the eyes bathe
in the milk of upper Ima that is always flowing out, meaning that Hochma, the eyes, clothes in
Hassadim, that is, bathes the eyes in milk. It is written about it, “His eyes are like doves
beside streams of water, bathed in milk, and reposed in their setting,” meaning they are
bathing in the mother’s milk that always and incessantly flows, since the Zivug of upper AVI
never stops.
The Se’arot [hairs], which are called “eyebrows,” are the forces of Din that extend from the
Metzah, from the Masach of the Yod in the Avir that is there, on which upper AVI mate in a
never ending Zivug, and they are hanging at the end of the Metzah.
For this reason, they have the power to evoke upper Ima to impart her milk, light of
Hassadim, to wash the eyes in it, meaning Hochma. Were it not for these Se’arot, upper Ima
would not be imparting Hassadim for washing the eyes, and without Hassadim, Hochma
cannot shine. This is regarded as the eyes blazing in the color red.
The brows evoke upper Ima to impart Hassadim for washing the eyes. Without those
Hassadim, Hochma would not shine. It follows that the eyebrows give the power to supervise
to all the guards. They give Hochma the strength to illuminate, for without them she would
not shine because they are those Dinim in the Metzah itself. However, those that are in the
Metzah are for the Zivug of upper AVI, and those that have breached and went outside are for
what is below the forehead, for the eyes.
524) The Hotem of the holy King, ZA, is the correction of the Partzuf when the Gevurot
expand and unite. These Gevurot unite and come out in one Gevura, and when the Dinim
awaken and come out, each from his side, they are perfumed in the smoke of the altar. Then it
is written, “And the Lord smelled the sweet savor.” Hotem de Atik de AA is different in that it
does not need the smoke of the altar because it is considered completely Erech Apaim
[Aramaic: having a long face], and the illumination of HS is called “His Hotem.” This is what
King David commented, “A praise of David.”
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The Hotem is the middle line that unites the two lines, the two eyes, since there are two times
HBD in the Rosh: 1) two Awznayim and a Metzah, HBD or upper AVI, in which Hochma
disappears; 2) two Eynaim and a Hotem, HBD de YESHSUT, in which the Hochma appears
through the middle line, Hotem.
The middle line carries the two kinds of Dinim of Masach de Hirik, Masach de Tzimtzum
Aleph and de Tzimtzum Bet. It also contains Dinim in the left line, its superior, and Dinim in
the upper one must be in the lower one. It follows that there are three kinds of Dinim in it:
upper Dinim of the left line from the point of Shuruk, two kinds of Dinim de Masach of the
point of Hirik, and when they unite, the power of the middle line is complemented, deciding
and unifying the two lines. Out of that unification, the middle line, called Hotem, is made and
reveals the Hochma.
However, when they unite, they all rise to the upper Gevura, to Dinim of the left line, and are
perfumed there. These Dinim were included in Gevura of the left line, and from there they
come out and operate. If their unification is spoiled and they act separately, they can be
corrected only by the smoke of the altar that rises from the offerings, since the smoke of the
offering includes the unification of three kinds of Gevurot, each of which comes out to its
side, they are not united, and the smoke of the altar reunites them. Then it is written, “And the
Lord smelled the sweet savor,” when Hochma, called “savor,” appears.
This is so in the Hotem of ZA, where Hochma de YESHSUT appears. This Hochma appears
only through the correction of the Dinim, savor. However, it is not actual Hochma, but Bina
that returned to being Hochma. But Hotem de AA does not need corrections because his actual
Hochma, called HS, shines in him. He is called Hotem from the words “boundary” and “end,”
as it is written, “And My praise I will restrain for you.” Restrain comes from the word sealing,
as in sealing that ends the illumination, which is called “praise,” as in the verse, “When His
lamp shone over my head,” and the illumination of the Hotem is called “praise.”
525) The Awznayim of the King are when the will is present and Ima nurses the light of
Hassadim to ZA, and the illumination of holy Atik illuminates. Then the illumination of the
two Mochot [“brains”] awakens, and the illumination of AVI and all those that are called “the
Mochot of the King” are flaming together. When they are flaming, they are called “the ears of
the Creator” because the prayers of Israel have been received. Then there is awakening for
better and for worse, and in this awakening the fowls awaken, meaning receive the voices of
the world, and all of them are called “the ears of the Creator.”
There is illumination of three Mochin HBD for dispensing the Hochma, and there is
illumination of two Mochin HB alone for dispensing the Hassadim. The two Awznayim are
upper AVI, which impart Hassadim in a never ending Zivug, which are illumination of two
Mochin. It was said that when the will is present and Ima nurses, upper Ima nurses the light of
Hassadim to ZA, and the illumination of the holy Atik illuminates because the light of
Hassadim extends from the illumination of Keter, holy Atik. At that time the illumination of
the two Mochot awakens and a Zivug is made of two Mochin to impart Hassadim to ZA, and
illumination of AVI, which is Zivug of upper AVI, and all those who are called “the Mochot of
the King,” HB, since only HB are called “the Mochin of the King.” But the Daat is essentially
only Tifferet that rose and decided between HB, hence it is not a complete Moach.
When they are flaming together they are called “the Awznayim of the Creator” for two
reasons: 1) Because of the prayers of Israel, who prayed for disclosure of light of Hassadim,
their prayer was answered and the Hassadim flowed out. This is why they are called
“Awznayim” [ears], which hear the prayer. 2) There is a sentence there. Is the Masach, on
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which the Zivug was made, good or bad? In Katnut it is bad, for then it punishes the wicked.
And in Gadlut it is good, for it is all Rachamim. This is why they are called Awznayim, from
the words Maznayim [scales] of the sentence.
In this awakening, the winged ones, the angels that receive the voices of the world, meaning
raising of MAN, awaken through the Zivug of upper AVI to raise MAN there.
526) The Panim of the King, ZA, is the illumination of AVI and their expansion over the three
points—Holam, Shuruk, and Hirik—that shine in Holam, encircle in Shuruk, and flame in
Hirik, in this Rosh of the King. Then testimony extends from them, which is illumination of
Hochma, which testifies in the King, ZA. The shape of the King is more dignified than all. At
the Rosh, there is the upper Hesed and Gevura. The illumination of AVI divides: illumination
of Aba into three lights, and illumination of Ima into two lights, thus five lights. HG are
included in one light, thus six. Hesed is crowns and flames in the two lights that illuminated,
and they are eight, and Gevura illuminates in one light, thus nine lights. When all the lights
join together, they are called “the shape of the King,” and then it is written, “The Lord will go
forth like a mighty man; He will arouse zeal like a man of war,” since illumination of Hochma
extends only in Gevura.
The lights of upper Bina, which came out of Rosh de AA, which is AVI, is complemented in
three points—Holam, Shuruk, Hirik. First, the Holam comes out, the ascent of Malchut to
Bina. At that time Bina divides into two halves, where ZAT de Bina are called Ima or
YESHSUT, KH that remained in the degree were established as GAR, HBD, although there is
only light of Hassadim in them, and they are called Aba or upper AVI.
ZAT de Bina, which are called Ima, also divide into KH in lights of NR that remained in the
degree in VAK, and to Bina and TM that fell to the degree of ZA.
Upon the exit of the point of Holam, which is the ascent of Malchut to Bina, upper Bina
divided into two degrees—Aba, which is GAR de Bina, and Ima, which is ZAT de Bina. Aba
was established with GAR, the three lights HBD, and they are also called upper AVI. Ima is in
two Kelim, KH, with two lights NR, which was not established in GAR because she needed
the Ohr Hochma, she, too, is called YESHSUT, and this is the Holam.
Afterwards the Shuruk comes out, being the descent of Malchut from Bina to her own place,
where Bina and TM that fell from Ima rise back up and unite in the degree of Ima. Then she is
completed with five Kelim KH, Bina, and TM, and with five lights NRNHY. However, the
Bina and TM that rose did not completely join in KH. Rather, KH that remained in the degree
were established as the right line, Hesed, and Bina and TM that fell and returned were
established as the left line, Gevura, and the domination was to the left line.
At that time the point of Shuruk came out, returning Bina and TM to their degree and being
established as the left line, Gevura, and the KH as the right line, Hesed, but dominated by the
light of the left. The light of the right, Hesed, disappeared from there, and this is the Shuruk.
Afterwards the Hirik comes out. This is the arrival of the middle line that unites the two lines
HG in one another, sustaining the illumination of both. Then Keter is crowned by the decision
of the middle line, spreading in two lights, in the right line, Hesed, and in the left line,
Gevura, meaning through the middle line.
There are two discernments in that: 1) After they unite, only the right line, Hesed, illuminates.
2) Once they have united, the light of the left illuminates in clothing of the right. That is,
afterwards it is crowned a second time and the Gevura—light of the left line—shines in its
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illumination by clothing in Hesed. This is the point of Hirik. When all of these lights unite,
they are called “the shape of the King.”
527) The lips of the King. When the light of Aba illuminated, meaning upper AVI, it
illuminated in three lights.

Hochma, light of upper Hesed.

Bina, light of the Moach of the King.

Daat, when the Yod rose to the Avir and remained hanging still until the light of
Ima illuminated, meaning YESHSUT. Then the Yod went out of the Avir once
more, the light returned to its place, and five lights illuminated in five Kelim.
528) From what did Ima illuminate? Two Yesodot [plural of Yesod] were established from the
Malchut that rose to the place of Bina, since they were mingled in one another and the
Malchut that acquired the form of Bina became Yesod of Bina in Aba, and the form of
Malchut herself became Yesod of Hochma de Aba, which is called “a trail.” It clung to it as a
male to a Nukva, which is the 50th gate, and the trail of Hochma de Aba illuminated in the
path of Bina de Aba, and Bina in Aba was impregnated and gave birth to five lights—KHB
TM de Ima—who is YESHSUT, in the same order as the three points Holam, Shuruk, Hirik.
Fifty gates on many lights were carved of these five lights, which are KHB TM, and each of
them comprises ten Sefirot, thus they are fifty. Opposite them are 49 pure Panim and 49
impure Panim in the Torah. One remains uncounted—the 50th gate—and that one illuminates
everything. This is the trail of Aba, who is Moses, to whom the 50th gate was given, too. The
light of Aba, the third light, remains hanging until the light of Ima illuminates. It remains
hanging even after the exit of the Yod from Avir de Ima because in Aba, the Yod never comes
out of his Avir. When AVI join together and clothe in the King, ZA, they are called “the
King’s lips.” Aba dresses in the upper lip and Ima in the lower lip. This is why He sentences
words of truth.
529) The opening of the mouth depends on the lips of ZA because Daat is concealed in the
mouth of the King, who is called Tifferet, ZA, since Daat is the expansion of Tifferet, ZA,
which is ZA that rose and became the middle line to unite AVI. All the treasures and the colors
united in Daat, as it is the middle line. Also, that Daat is concealed in the mouth and fills all
the rooms and corridors, meaning it expanded in HGT NHY de ZA, as HGT are called “rooms”
and NHY are corridors.
When the light of Daat awakens and comes out, it is called “the mouth of the Creator.” When
the lips, which are the two lights of AVI, meet the light of Daat, they unite through it into one,
and the matters are determined in truth, in Hochma [wisdom], Tevuna [intelligence], and Daat
[knowledge]. Then all the words of the Creator are decided in those HBD.
530) HBD illuminate in Rosh ZA in the form of Ima. From there they expand and crown in the
Guf of ZA. When HBD conjoin in one crown, they are the King’s palate, which is at the
beginning of the Guf and is called “the sweetness of the King.” This is why it is written,
“Taste and see that the Lord is good,” since the sense of taste is in the palate. Also, all the
King’s rulers and ministers depend upon this palate, as it is written, “And by the breath of His
mouth all their host.”
531) There is the wholeness of everything in this palate, and all the letters are in them. The
four letters Aleph-Het-Hey-Ayin (AHHA) are from the outlet of the throat. Aleph is the light of
holy Atik, the most hidden of all that are hidden, Keter. Het is the light of Hochma, which is
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not found and is unattained because it was concealed in Mocha Stimaa de AA and does not
extend to the Partzufim of Atzilut, as it is written, “Man does not know its value.” The letter
Hey is light of Ima, Bina, which returns to being Hochma, from whom arrives all the Hochma
in the Partzufim of Atzilut. It shines, drawn out, comes out, waters all, and nurses the children,
ZON, until this holy ointment comes and fills the righteous, Yesod, which unites with the
bottom Nukva, Malchut, which is blessed by him, and they do not separate.
The abundance of Ima is white out of red, that is, the left, red, is included in the right, which
is white, as it is written, “To the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.” It is
written about Ima: myrrh is red and frankincense is white. Ayin is the light of Ayin (70) faces
that feed on the wind that comes out of the mouth, the seventy names of the Creator, ZA.
Corresponding to them on the earth, it is written “All the persons of the house of Jacob, who
came to Egypt, were seventy,” since Jacob is a tree in the earth, corresponding to ZA, and his
seventy souls are seventy branches of the tree.
532) From those four letters AHHA, the four letters Gimel-Yod-Chaf-Kof (GYCK) illuminate
from the outlet of the palate. From the Aleph of AHHA shines the Gimel of GYCK, which is a
good reward for the righteous, which is called a Gemul [reward], meaning Gimel. It is written
about that, “Then you will delight in the Lord.”
From the letter Het of AHHA shines the Yod of GYCK, Hochma, and is completely hidden in
Yod, hidden on all its sides, for there is no white in it. This is why Hochma is not present, as it
is written, “Nor is it found in the land of the living.”
From the letter Hey of AHHA shines the Chaf of GYCK, meaning light and oil of the
ointment, which is poured out of Ima to a place called Keren [corner]. It is called “Corner of
the Yovel” because “corner” is Malchut and Yovel is Bina. Malchut that receives the
abundance of Bina is called “the corner of the Yovel.” This is the kingdom of David, and this
is why there is anointing for the kings only with the letter Chaf [also means spoon in Hebrew,
and anointing means spreading with oil, too].
533) The Kof of GYCK illuminates from the Ayin of AHHA, as the Ayin is seventy, having
seven Sefirot HGT NHYM, in each of which are ten Sefirot. So is Kof 100 because there is
HBD in her as well, the perfection of the ten Sefirot. For this reason, there is the perfection of
everything in the palate, and anyone who knows this secret and is watchful with it is happy.
534) The Guf of the King is the expansion of the Sefira Tifferet, in which the colors white and
red unite, meaning the two lines right and left, and the body—the middle line, unites them.
The King’s arms are the lights HG, the two lines—right and left—and the Guf is the middle
line that unites them. His intestines are the internality and are corrected in Daat, which enters
the Rosh and sentences between the two lines HB, expanding to the internality and within the
Guf, Tifferet.
535) The thighs unite in two lights, NH. The thighs and the two kidneys unite in one place
because the two kidneys are NH as well, where all the ointment is collected, and all the oil of
the body. From there extends every holy ointment to the Yesod of the world, to Yesod, from a
place called “world,” which is NH. This is why “The Lord of hosts is His name,” since NH is
“Hosts.”
536) All the corrections come to unite in the Nukva until Yesod receives all the oil of the holy
ointment and pours it to the Nukva, Malchut, who is blessed by it when the Dinim are
established below and established above. Also, all the corrections are the King’s, which are
the holy name, in joy and wholeness, and they are all one. Then He is within them, as it is
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written, “God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.”
Hence the Dinim are regarded as fire: As light and cooking come from the fire when it is set
up in the right vessels, and destroys everything when it is not set up properly, so are the
Dinim.
537) When the Dinim are not set up below, it is seemingly so above—all the corrections are
not established so. This is because Ima departs from over the children, ZON, the children do
not nurse, the Yesod does not pour out to the Nukva, Malchut, all the Dinim awaken, and the
strong serpent rules. It would seem that all the corrections of the King have departed due to
the Din. Because Nukva is not blessed, and the righteous, Yesod, is not receiving for her, and
the strong serpent rules. Woe unto the world, which suckles from them.
538) Rabbi Shimon revealed all these corrections so he would not come to the next world
disgraced. Now they must appear for the friends, for they know and understand the matters.
Indeed, they must know them, as it is written, “And you shall know that I am the Lord.” It is
written, “And you shall know that I am the Lord,” and indeed matters have been reconciled in
our heart. Happy are we in this world and in the next.
539) I saw him in a dream and I asked, “This Yod of the name HaVaYaH is Hochma. Why is
the Hey of HaVaYaH Bina?” He replied, “It is written, ‘And a river comes out of Eden to
water the garden.’ The river that comes out of Eden is Bina. It comes out of Eden, which is
Hochma. This is why the Yod is hidden within that river, meaning Hochma, and the Yod
spreads the light of Bina above, right, and below, left, which are four. Afterwards Bina
brought forth a son beneath her, who is Vav, the middle line, and became as the Hey. This is
why Yod-Hey is HB. Then she begot and brought forth that son and placed him in front of her.
This is why he is Yod-Hey-Vav, since the Vav sat before her so she would nurse it.
We learn about it that the Hey was initially Dalet, and when the male, Hochma, conjoined
with her, she was conceived with one son, and she was called Hey. Then she begot him and
brought the Vav, meaning that son, outside of her and placed him in front of her. It is written
about that, ‘And a river comes out of Eden.’ This is Bina that comes out of Hochma, who is
called ‘Eden,’ from whom she came out to water the garden, Malchut, to nurse it.”
540) I held his hands and kissed him on his hand. With this refinement I awoke. I wept and
laughed and three days went by without me eating anything—one because of joy, one because
I was not privileged with seeing him another time. For this reason, I immediately became
connected to Him, since when the law shines for me, I see His shape awakening before me.
Happy are the righteous in this world and in the next. It is written about them, “Surely the
righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your face.”
And in All the Things That I Have Said to You Be Watchful
541) “And in all the things that I have said to you, be watchful,” meaning I have elaborated to
you about My work; be watchful that nothing bad comes to you. “Be watchful” only of My
watching and guarding, and do not mention the name of other gods. Another interpretation for
“Do not mention the name of other gods,” do not wander, for you will fall among the nations
in another land and the words “And there you shall serve other gods” will come true in you.
542) “And in all the things that I have said to you, be watchful.” “Hear, My people, and I will
admonish you.” “Let there be no strange god among you.” “I, the Lord, am your God, who
brought you up from the land of Egypt.” David said these verses in the spirit of holiness, and
they should be examined. “Hear, My people.” The Torah warned man in several places. In
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several places does the Creator warn man, and it is all for man’s benefit, so he will keep the
Mitzvot of the Torah, for all who keep the ways of Torah and engage in it, it is as though they
engage in the holy name.
543) The whole of the Torah is the name of the Creator. One who engages in it, it is as though
he engages in the holy name, since the whole of the Torah is one holy name, a superior name,
a name that includes all other names. And one who withdraws a single letter from it, it is as
though he put a blemish in the holy name. “And do not mention the name of other gods.” Do
not add to the Torah and do not withdraw from it, for he makes a flaw in the holy name and
strengthens the other gods. The name “other gods” is one who engages in other books, which
are not on the side of Torah. “Nor let them be heard from your mouth,” meaning it is
forbidden to even mention them and learn any reasoning from them, especially reasoning that
regards the Torah.
Any Man of Israel Who Was Circumcised Should Be Seen
544) One who does not keep the festival of Matzot [unleavened bread] is as one who does not
keep the faith of the Creator because His high and holy name is gripped to it. It is written,
“Three times a year [all your males] shall be seen,” since faith, which is three lines, depends
on them, since Malchut, which is called “faith,” is built from them.
545) “All your males shall see the face of the Lord God.” “All your males,” since they receive
a blessing from the fountain of the stream, Yesod. Any man of Israel who was circumcised
should be seen before the holy King because he receives a blessing from the fountain of the
stream, as it is written, “According to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given
you.” “Before the Lord God” is Yesod, from which the blessings flow and the blessings are
received. Happier are Israel than the rest of the nations.
546) Once, Israel went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival, and idol worshipers mingled
with them. That year, there were no blessings in the world. They came and asked Rav
Hamnuna Saba. He told them, “Did you see beforehand a sign that this ascent would not be
favorable?” They replied, “We saw a sign: when we returned from there, all the roads were
blocked by water, and cloud and darkness prevailed, so all those who went up there could not
go and return. Also, when we came to be seen, the face of the skies went dark and angry.” He
told them, “Either there are uncircumcised people among you, or that idol worshippers went
up with you, since at that time only sons of Israel who were circumcised are blessed. The
Creator looks at that holy token and blesses them.”
547) They went up on another year, and when those idol worshippers who mingled with them
would eat the offerings and rejoice, they saw that those idol worshippers had a shape similar
to the shape of the wall, that they were sad. They noticed them, for everyone were blessing
and they were not blessing. They came and said the matter to the courthouse. They came and
asked them: “Say, that which you ate, from which offering was your share?” They were
unable, meaning they did not know what to answer. They checked and found that they were
idol worshippers and killed them. They said, “Blessed is the Merciful one who saved His
people,” since certainly, there is blessing only in Israel, the holy seed, the sons of faith, sons
of truth. That year, there were complete blessings in the world. They started and said, “Surely
the righteous will give thanks to Your name.”
548) Thanks to circumcised Israel, their enemies surrender before them and they inherit their
inheritance. It is written, “All your males shall see,” meaning circumcised males. It is written,
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“For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders.” Thanks to the
circumcision, the Creator, in whom there are Din and Rachamim, uproots dwellers that are the
enemies from their places, and brings back dwellers that are Israel to their place. For this
reason, “All your males shall see the face of the Lord God,” the Creator, Tifferet, in whom
there are Din and Rachamim, and for which He uproots dwellers and settles dwellers. The
Lord means as it is written, “Behold, the Lord, the God of hosts, will lop off the boughs with
a terrible crash,” meaning uproot dwellers. “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of
Yishai,” meaning settling dwellers. It is all one, the Din and Rachamim work together and He
uproots dwellers and returns dwellers as one. There is a Lord, Tifferet, and there is a Lord,
Yesod, and everything depends on one, Malchut, who is called ADNI.
The Creator Is Called ADNI
549) ADNI that is written in full is Aleph Dalet Nun Yod. It is called “the Creator,” ZA, and
not HaVaYaH. It is pronounced as it is written ADNI. It is the visions of Elokim [God],
Malchut. Visions is written in plural form, including also the wholeness of everything, Yod
He Vav He, which is ZA. Are visions for the name HaVaYaH or for the name ADNI? Aleph is
Aleph Dalet Nun Yod, and both are read in it. Malchut is pronounced as it is written, and ZA is
not pronounced as it is written, in the name HaVaYaH, hence it is called by the name ADNI.
This is why it is written, “visions of God,” which is a plural form because it includes ZA and
Malchut. This is why they are both called by the name “Lord.”
550) Sometimes the upper ones are called by the name of the lower ones, and at times the
lower ones are called by the name of the upper ones. This is why it is written, “The Lord
God,” by the name of the upper one, ZA, who is ADNI, which is the name of the lower one,
Malchut.
Neshikin [Kisses]
551) “Behold, I am sending an angel before you.” The Assembly of Israel, Divinity, said,
“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.” It should have said, “Love me,” and not “Kiss
me.” However, kissing is clinging of spirit to spirit. This is why kissing is with the mouth,
since the mouth is the outlet and the origin of the spirit. Hence, kisses are with the mouth,
with love, attaching of spirit to spirit when they do not part from each other.
552) For this reason, one whose soul comes out in a kiss clings to the spirit of the Creator in a
spirit that does not part from Him. This is called “kissing,” and this is why the Assembly of
Israel said, “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,” to attach spirit to spirit so they will
not part from one another.
553) “For your love is better than wine” means the wine of Torah. Mochin de ZA is called
“Torah,” and Mochin of illumination of Hochma is called “wine.” “And wine which makes
man's heart glad” is written about the wine of Torah. It is written about that, “For your love is
better than wine, meaning it is better for the gladness of the heart than wine, which makes me
glad more than anything.
Kissing is with the lips. There are two discernments in the lips: 1) Upper lip, upper AVI,
which give pure Avir there, which is light of Hassadim, called Ruach [spirit], in a never
ending Zivug, and in which the Yod never leaves their Avir. 2) Lower lip, YESHSUT, in which
the Yod comes out of their Avir and returns to being light of Hochma, giving there
illumination of Hochma.
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And although the illumination of Hassadim of upper AVI is actual GAR, still ZA needs
illumination of Hochma, and the light of Hassadim of AVI in him are only in the form of VAK
without a Rosh due to the absence of illumination of Hochma. However, once ZA receives the
Mochin of YESHSUT, illumination of Hochma, the Hassadim de AVI become actual GAR in
him, just as they are in upper AVI themselves, since now it, too, is completed in illumination
of Hochma and there is no flaw in him, just as in upper AVI. Their illumination of Hassadim
is more important than the illumination of Hochma in YESHSUT because they are superior to
them and to the ones who give to them.
“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,” to attach spirit to spirit. Illumination of
Hassadim is Ruach in the upper lip, upper AVI. The lower lip is illumination of Hochma de
YESHSUT, which complements the Ruach of the upper lip to make it as GAR, as in AVI
themselves. “For your love is better than wine” means the wine of Torah, since because the
lower lip shines there, too, which is illumination of Hochma from YESHSUT, which is called
“wine,” your love, which is the Ruach from the upper lip, has become good, since by that the
Hassadim have been made into GAR. This is why Divinity says in a Zivug de Neshikin, “For
your love is better than wine.”
554) “Jacob kissed Rachel, and raised his voice, and wept.” When he was in clinging of the
spirit in her, the heart could not bear and wept. It is written, “And kissed him, and they wept,”
since the spirit did not cling to him at all. It is written about that, “Deceitful are the kisses of
an enemy.” One who kisses with love attaches spirit to spirit with adhesion of love. One who
does not kiss with love is not in Dvekut [adhesion], but rather “Deceitful,” it is Aviut
[thickness], since his spirit is not adhered to a kiss and he does not cling to it at all. This is
why it is written, “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,” which is adhesion of spirit to
spirit.
555) As long as the Creator goes in Israel, spirit clings to spirit. It is written about that, “And
you that cleave unto the Lord” in all those manners of Dvekut, and do not part from one
another. When it is said, “Behold, I am sending an angel before you,” Moses knew that this
was retirement from Israel. He said, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up
from here.”
556) Above it, it is written, “You shall bring the first fruits of your soil into the house of the
Lord your God. You are not to boil a kid [young goat] in its mother's milk.” This is so in order
to not mix a lower matter with an upper one, so that the outer side will not suckle from the
side within. The one without, the kid, is from the side of Tuma’a [impurity], and the one
within, its mother, is from the side of Kedusha [holiness]. Its mother is the Assembly of
Israel, Malchut, which is called “mother.” Since the expansion of Malchut is only through the
Klipot, as it is written, “And her legs go down to death.” “In its mother's milk,” so that those
who should not, will not suckle from that side.
Behold, I Am Sending an Angel before You
557) “Behold, I am sending an angel before you.” Israel, who are internality and cling to the
Creator, are placed under the angel, who is externality. Moses said, “But I received Your
guarantee that You would not part from him, that thanks to the Mitzvot of first fruit, You
would not mingle externality with internality. Certainly, ‘If Your presence does not go with
us, do not lead us up from here.’ And how then will it be known that I and my people have
been favored by You?” He will not ask about this verse being in the portion Ki Tissa [When
You Take], since there is no “before and after” in the Torah.
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558) The Creator said this thing only out of love for Israel, to reconcile with them. It is like a
king who wished to go with his son and did not wish to leave him. His son came and feared
asking the king to accompany him. The king spoke first and said, “So and so army
commander will walk with you to keep you on the way.” And then he said, “Beware of him,
for he is not a whole person.” His son said, “Then either I sit here or you walk with me and I
do not part from you.”
So is the Creator. First, he said, “Behold, I am sending an angel before you, to keep you on
the way,” and then he said “Beware of him.” At that moment, Moses said, “If Your presence
does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.”
559) In that place, when the Creator said, “Behold, I am sending an angel before you,” Moses
did not say a thing; he did not respond with even a word because here there was no separation
from the Creator, for the angel was sent only for keeping. But there, however, it writes, “I will
send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, for I will not go up in your
midst.”
560) When did Moses reply? When he said, “I will send an angel before you,” after which it
is written, “I will not go up in your midst.” And here it writes only, “For My angel will go
before you,” and he does not interpret the matter, saying “For I will not go up in your midst.”
This is why it is written here, “But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will
be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.” Thus, everything
depends on the Creator and there is no separation here. This is why Moses did not reply here.
561) And if you say that in the two verses he is an angel in actual separation? Still, Moses did
not reply to them because it was not the time. Even to the verse, “And I will send an angel
before you,” after which it is written, “For I will not go up in your midst,” Moses did not
reply at once. Rather, when it is written, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us
up from here,” he replied this to what is written, “My presence will go and I will give you
rest.” It is so because then he could reply. In general, Moses did not want the angel, because it
is written, “He said, ‘If now I have found favor in Your eyes, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go
along in our midst.’”
You Are Not To Boil a Kid [Young Goat] in Its Mother's Milk
562) “You are not to boil a kid in its mother's milk.” A kid is from the Sitra Achra so it will
not suckle from Divinity. It should have said “In the mother’s milk”; what is “In its mother’s
milk?” The Assembly of Israel, Malchut, is not the mother of the side of Tuma’a, since the
Assembly of Israel is the holy mother, united on the part of Israel, as it is written, “For the
portion of the Lord is His people.”
563) Ima, Malchut, united for them above to the side of Kedusha and to the side of Tuma’a,
one to the right and one to the left, for in each side there are right and left. Everyone is
dependent upon this mother, who is the holy mother, Malchut, and clings to her.
564) They cling to her when this mother suckles from the other side and the Temple is
defiled, and the strong serpent begins to appear. At that time the kid suckles from its mother’s
milk and the Dinim awaken. For this reason, Israel hurry and bring the first fruits. And when
they bring them, they should say and begin with Laban, “An Aramean who destroyed my
father,” who wished to rule over Jacob and the holy seed with these charms of his, but they
were not given into his hand and Israel were not given to that side. For this reason, by that
they remove the power of the serpent and the kid cannot suckle from its mother’s milk. This is
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why it is written, “You shall bring the first fruits of your soil; you are not to boil a kid in its
mother's milk,” so that that side will not suckle from its mother’s milk, Malchut, so that the
Temple will not be defiled and the Dinim will not awaken.
565) For this reason all the holy seed do not eat meat in milk, as well as anyone who comes
from the holy side, so as to not make room for those who do not need to, for it depends on the
act, meaning that it requires an act from below to evoke above. Happier are Israel than all the
idol worshipping nations because their Lord declares about them, “And the Lord has chosen
you to be a people of virtue for Him.” It is also written, “For you are a holy nation to the Lord
your God,” and it is written, “You are the children of the Lord your God.”
566) When the works of Israel are not good, it is written, “My people! Their oppressors are
children, and women rule over them.” Anyone who eats a dish of meat and of milk within the
same hour or the same meal, when they join together, it is as though he ate meat together with
milk. For forty days, a kid is seen roasting with its skin, grilled in its entirety, as one, with its
head, for those of above, and the company of Tuma’a approaches with it, causing the arousal
of unholy Dinim in the world.
567) If he begets a son during these days, it is lent a soul from the other side, which does not
need him because she defiles him. It is written, “And you shall be sanctified and be holy, and
you shall not defile your souls.” He who comes to defile is defiled, as it is written, “That you
should be defiled in them,” without an Aleph, which is more blocked Tuma’a than all the
impurities, since he has no permission to be purified like the rest of the impurities, which are
purified. Moreover, for fear of evil beasts, it seemed to them like a kid and could harm
because man’s image has moved away from him.
568) Rabbi Yisa permitted eating chicken with cheese or milk. Rabbi Shimon said you must
not. No one should open a door to the evil kinds. “Go, go out,” the monk is told, “Around,
around; do not approach the vineyard.” Of course you are forbidden, since there is the rigor of
slaughtering as with a beast. It is written of one who permits it, “And you gave the Nazirites
wine to drink,” for one who permits this, permits that. The flaw that is made above, it is one
for them. It is written, “You shall not eat any abomination,” and “Any” comes to include
everything.
569) With what were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah rewarded that they were saved
from these trials? It is because they were not defiled in their food. It is written, “And Daniel
made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food.” The food of
the wicked Nebuchadnezzar was meat with milk and cheese with meat, in addition to other
foods. But this was on his table each day.
570) Daniel kept away from it. When he was thrown into the lions’ pit, he was whole in the
image of his Maker and his image did not change into another image, so the lions feared him
and did not harm him. But that wicked, when the kingship has been removed from him and he
dwelled with the animals of the field, the image of his face was removed from him, and since
that day his image was not as an image of a man. And any beast that came, it seemed to it that
he was an image of its own kind, its female, so they would all mount him. And many times
the animals of the field would eat him, if not for that punishment that he was punished. It is
written, “And he mocks at kings,” and for this reason everyone will mock him all that time.
571) It is written, “At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter
than all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food.” “Their appearance seemed
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better” because the image of their Maker was not removed from them, while it was removed
from others, since they were not made repugnant by the repugnance of their food.
And unto Moses He Said, “Go Up to the Lord”
572) “And unto Moses He said.” Divinity said, “Go up to the Lord,” as it is written, “And
Moses went up to the God,” to establish a covenant with them because they were avenged for
not having gone out of Egypt. At that time they were circumcised but not exposed, and here
they were already circumcised and entered into the ark of the covenant, as it is written, “There
He made for them a statute and an ordinance,” meaning circumcision and exposing, “And
there He tested him” with the holy token that appeared in them. And here their making of the
covenant came true in them through Moses, as it is written, “And Moses took the blood and
threw it on the people.”
573) “And he threw half of the blood on the altar.” It does not write, “In the altar,” since an
altar is Malchut, and the making of the covenant is in Yesod. “On the altar” implies Yesod,
which is above Malchut. “And you shall bow at a distance,” as it is written, “The Lord
appeared to me from afar.” It is also written, “His sister stood at a distance.” That is, the
moon, Malchut, was diminished, and this is why it is written, “And you shall bow at a
distance.” And at that time Israel were rewarded with more of the holy part and the making of
the holy covenant with the Creator.
574) “And unto Moses He said, ‘go up to the Lord.’” Divinity told him, “Go up, for I and
Israel will partake in the wholeness through you, which was not so thus far.” It is written,
“And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins,” dividing it into two, as is done when
making a covenant. Half of the blood he threw on the people, and half of the blood he threw
on the altar, Yesod. It is written, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made
with you.”
575) “And Moses alone shall approach the Lord.” Happy is Moses for he alone was rewarded
with what no one else was rewarded. Now Israel have been rewarded that which they were not
rewarded until that time. At that time, they existed in a high and holy existence, and at that
time they were told that there would be a Temple among them, “And they will make Me a
Temple that I may dwell among them.”
576) “And they saw the God of Israel, and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of
sapphire.” “Your stature is like a palm tree.” How favored is the Assembly of Israel by the
Creator? She does not part from Him like that date, where the male never parts from the
female and they do not rise without each other. Similarly, the Assembly of Israel does not part
from the Creator.
577) When Nadav and Avihu and seventy elders saw, it is written, “And they saw the God of
Israel,” meaning that Divinity appeared to them. “The,” when it is written, “The God of,”
indicates that it is from afar. “The” includes all that there is within it, that they saw what was
inside Divinity.
578) It is written, “This is the animal that I saw in the river Chebar.” What is this animal? It is
a small animal, Malchut, and a high animal, in HGT, from Chazeh de ZA and above. And the
smallest of the animals, which is an animal in the world of Yetzira.
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And upon the Nobles of the Sons of Israel
580) “And upon the nobles of the sons of Israel” are Nadav and Avihu. “He did not stretch
out his hand,” meaning after some time he raised them up for sentencing and they were not
punished here. It is to their merit that it is written, “And they ate and drank,” meaning feasted
their eyes with that light. They certainly ate and nourished themselves with that light, and
here they were tied above, extending that light from below upward. And there would be no sin
about it if they had not later strayed from the path.
581) At that time, even Israel were kosher and Divinity was tied to them. This covenant and
the entire Torah were at one time, for then they had illumination from the whole of Torah, and
Israel never saw such as that time. In the future, the Creator will be revealed to His children,
and they will all see His glory with their eyes, as it is written, “For they will see with their
own eyes when the Lord restores Zion,” and it is written, “And the glory of the Lord will be
revealed, and all flesh will see together.”
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